Magic and Stars
by Iffy Jr
Summary: Thor/Loki. "Maybe Loki cares what others think about him, but Thor's never been one to ignore a fascination. The blonde has always loved finding shapes in the stars, and who doesn't like a little magic every now and again?" COMPLETE.
1. The Beginning of Bonds

Author's notes: Yup, still stuck in the Thor/Avengers hype. Whoops! No regrets? Maybe a little. Aaanyway, it is 54 pages and just shy of 29,000 words, and it is a Thorki AU in which Loki was taken by Odin but not kept as Thor's brother and simply given to another family instead. So Thor and Loki are never brothers, but they of course become eventual friends. So yeah, it is just in Thor's world, meaning no Genius Billionaire Playboy Philanthropist, Capsicle, Legolas, the spider in tight leather, or our man with breathtaking anger management issues.

Also, Thor does not have Mjölnir yet, so he never uses the hammer for anything _because_ he does not have it. It is in Thor's point of view until part 2 of the epilogue, where it is Loki's! The song I listened to a lot while writing this was Magic Stars by Deerhoof. And _yes_ I made up some Bilgesnipe species okay? No making fun of my names I am not creative with shit like that okay? XD Here's some of my inspirations for the three Snipe species I came up with:

**1.** Dragsnipe (no I do not care that it sounds like a drag queen sniper I didn't want it to be "dragonsnipe" so sue me): _Bilgesnipe's gonna snipe_ by _xhidefromthesunx_  
**2.** Bilgesnipe side: _Bilgesnipe Bull profile_ by _scandinartia_  
**2.** Bilgesnipe front: _Bilgesnipe bull front angle_ by _scandinartia_  
**3.** And I make up a Berasnipe, too ("Bera" is Norse for "bear", but I do not have any drawings for that one.

And one more quick note about their ages: everyone 100 Asgardian years is 1 year in Midgard. Not that they are equivalent, but I just mean if someone is 2,000 years old on Midgard, picture them looking as though they are 20. Thor is 2,100, so he would be a 21 years physically on earth. Loki is 1,900, so he would be 19! Yup.

Oh and also a totally random note. I was reading through some random Norse Wikipedia pages, and apparently Frigga was like the mightiest sorcerer in Asgard, and she is the one who taught Odin how to use magic. So, I am toootaly going to shove that in here somehow. Keep up a steady lookout :P

Anyway, I suppose that's all there is to say. Enjoy :)

PS all of Loki's kids totally exist still but they are just…not his kids. And the way I bring Sleipnir about is totally going to make it SEEM like Loki was the father (I know he's supposed to be the mother shh) but HE IS NOT. And yes, I totally made up the horse legend on the spot. You will know what I am talking about when I get there.

PPS I haven't edited this yet whoops so if there are spelling/epic grammar mistakes feel free to tell me so I can fix them! :)

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**Disclaimer**: None of the characters in this story are mine. They strictly belong to those that created the Norse myths, Marvel, whoever else has helped create the characters of Asgard/Jotunheim/etc.

**S****ummary**: Thor/Loki. "Maybe Loki cares what others think about him, but Thor's never been one to ignore a fascination. The blonde has always loved finding shapes in the stars, and who does not like a little magic every now and again?" COMPLETE.

**Pairing**: Thor/Loki  
**Status**: Complete  
**Rating**: Mature  
**Warning/Not-warnings**: m/m pairing; smut

* * *

[Chapter summary: In which Thor says more than hello and Loki just can't help it.]

**Chapter One: The Beginning of Bonds**

Thor has seen him around before, but never spoken to him. That is how it was with most of the kingdom, really. But this man is the only one that Thor truly wants to speak to. He is not really sure why. Maybe it is the fact that he is never talking to anybody else, or because he is always being kicked out of the royal stables for trying to play with the horses. But it is probably because of the magic.

The first time Thor saw him he was nine years old, and he exchanged a single word with him ("Hello") before he was pulled away by his caretaker. He is two-thousand, one-hundred years old, now, and he knows that the other man's name is Loki, and that he is one-thousand nine-hundred. He is very lean, with black hair that falls around his shoulders and emerald green eyes that glare intently at any who come to close to him. But even after that one word, Thor has never locked eyes with Loki before. Not purposefully or accidentally, no matter how much the blonde watches him.

He is in black pants that are held up by an intricate bronze belt, and his shirt is black as well, with long sleeves held tight to his skin by bronze cuffs on either sleeve. His boots, made of what looks like a black snakeskin, go nearly to his knees and have black laces that cover the entire length of the boot

He is sitting on the waters edge right now, legs dangling over the edge of the bridge. It is not the waves below the Bifrost, but a smaller river that winds its way through the streets of Asgard. Nobody is with him, which is not surprising. Ever since Thor first saw him he has been driving people off with his magic and/or his words. Thor is standing across the street, and it is not a very busy street, at that. Loki is usually here, just swinging his legs over the water and playing around with his magic, where he can be alone.

He will not be alone for long, though.

Thor steps out and walks across the street, crossing until he is standing just to the left of Loki. "Hello," he says, smiling brightly down at the smaller man.

Loki glances over just enough to see that there is someone standing beside him, but not enough that he sees above his waist. "What do you want?" he mutters darkly.

"I am just saying hi."

"Nobody is ever _just saying hi_. They either want to throw something at me or for me to do a trick for them. I am sick of it. So if you do not want anything, go away. I would rather be alone."

Thor instead sits down—not beside him, but just leaning backwards against the railing. He can see scars on Loki's stomach and around his neck from here, and he wishes he knew what they were from. "I am Thor," he says politely.

Loki sighs and drops his hands so his magic goes away before he looks up—not at Thor, but straight out ahead of himself. "If you do not leave me alone I will zap you."

"There is no need to zap at me. I am just introducing myself."

He looks over at Thor, eyes not even widening a fraction when he sees that he is _the_ Thor. The son of Odin, son of the Allfather, son of the king. The Prince of Asgard! He just glares like he does at everybody else. Of course, he still does not look very intimidating with the black eye that he is sporting. "Do I _look_ like I want to be introduced to anyone?"

Thor frowns. "People really do throw things at you?"

He growls, looking away. "No, I punched my_self_."

"Really? Why would you—"

"Good gods, do not be an idiot. Of course I did not punch myself. I got hit in the face with a brick."

"You could not stop it with your magic?"

"You are not very bright for a prince. It takes more then four-hundred years to perfect something that does not exist."

Thor does not understand why he only says four-hundred, because he is certainly older than that, but the blonde does not question it. "There is no magic in the castle. Why would I know everything about something that I have never been taught about?"

Loki looks back over at him, blinking a bit. "Have I spoken to you before?" he asks quietly.

"Not exactly. I said hello, but my caretaker pulled me away."

Loki nods, looking away again. "Where is your caretaker now, little prince?"

"There is no need to be so cold to me. I have never hurt you before. Besides, I am bigger than you are. And I do not have a caretaker anymore. I am too old for one."

"What, twenty-one is too old for a babysitter up in the castle? Funny, I thought you had people waiting on you all the time."

"I sent them away."

"Now why would you do a silly little thing like that?"

"So I could talk to you."

Loki looks over at him again, eyes narrowed. "Why do you _want_ to talk to me, anyway? You know the rumors about me. I am the devils enthusiast, they say. God of Lies, of Mischief, of Distrust… I certainly would not want to talk to me, so what are you, oh Odinson, doing such a deed as sitting down beside me to simply _chat_?"

Thor shrugs, swinging around to face the water as well. "Just that. To simply chat. You have fascinated me for the past twelve years, and I am finally acting on it."

Loki nods. "Well, you are the first that has ever tried this hard. It is nice to meet you, Thor. I am Loki."

Thor nods, smiling out over the water. "I know."

"Yes, I suppose everybody does."

"They do."

Loki gives a smirk, and just before words come out of his mouth, words come from behind them:

"Thor! Thor, there you are, we were…"

They trail off when Thor and Loki turn around, all four sets of eyes trailing awkwardly over to land on Loki.

"Oh," Sif continues awkwardly. "Are we…interrupting something?"

"Somewhat," Thor says to his four friends as Loki just turns away, looking back down at his hands and swirling a ball of white light around in his hands. "What is it?"

"We were wondering if you wanted to go to the arena with us," Fandral says.

"To practice for the match tomorrow," Volstagg adds.

"Oh, of course, I nearly forgot!" Thor says, swinging around until he is in a standing position. Though he is large and heavy with muscle, Thor is really quite agile and flexible. "Give me just a moment." He squats down beside Loki, just staring at him until he looks over.

"_What_?" he snaps.

"Do you watch the matches that take place—"

"In the arena, yes, I know, where else would they take place? And yes, I do, but where I will not bother anybody."

"You should sit with me instead!"

Thor ignores the sounds that Sif and the Warriors Three give behind him, instead trying not to laugh at the appalled/confused/disgusted/all sorts of things look that Loki is giving him. "Why on earth would I want to do that?"

"What, sit and watch me fight?"

"No, sit and get hit with more bricks."

Thor rolls his eyes heavenward. "Nobody would throw bricks at a guest of the Allfather."

"Yes, there we go, throw around your power. No, I will not sit with you. I will sit where I always sit. Leave me alone now, would you? I did not want your presence in the first place."

Thor shrugs, standing up again. "Suit yourself."

**XxX**

Thor scans for Loki in the stands, knowing it will be all but impossible to fin—

Oh, there he is. Not even in a row, but up on the outer rim of the coliseum.

"I will be right back," he says to Sif, who's sitting the closest to him.

"You cannot be serious," she says, grabbing his hand.

The blonde smiles. "Trust me."

She rolls her eyes and let's go, not saying anything in return.

Thor weaves his way through the other seats until he comes to the top row, as close to Loki as he can be. "Lonely yet?" he asks with a smile, glad that the sun has already set below the coliseum edge so that he is not blinded.

Loki looks down at him. "What do you want from me, prince?"

Thor holds his arm up to him. "Your hand."

Loki stares at it. "Why?"

"Because I want you to come and sit with me."

"Your friends have not yet convinced you of forgetting your want for my friendship?"

"My friends are never able to convince me of anything."

Loki licks his lips in thought. "I do not think you would want me as a friend, oh prince. I am not at all fun over long or even short periods of time."

"I would like to decide that for myself, thank you."

Loki stares down at him, his black hair swirling lightly around his face and neck in the calm wind. He lifts his hand and reaches out to Thor's, but just before their fingers brush, he pulls away.

"I am sorry," he says. "I cannot." He rolls backwards, disappearing over the ledge.

Thor sighs, dropping his hand. This is going to be harder than he thought.

**XxX**

Loki is not in his usual place by the river the next day, but Thor later catches a glimpse of him sneaking into the royal horse barn. The blonde sneaks up to the door and watches as the man walks straight to the only horse in the entire stable that none can safely ride: Scara. She was named for the scar she gave her mother when she had to be cut from her mothers stomach to survive, and she is fast as lightning and impossible to catch. Even Thor was thrown the one time he tried to ride her.

"Did you miss me, my darling?" Loki asks the horse, smiling at her.

She whinnies at him, nuzzling against his shoulder.

Thor smiles, walking into the barn. "You must be very special for her to like you," he says.

"I should be," Loki says, not even flinching at Thor's "sudden" presence. "We ran into each other on a day that she ran away and I saved her from one of the forest beasts. Being her friend takes less than you think."

"And to be yours?" Thor asks, stopping in front of him.

Loki eyes him darkly as he brushes through Scara's mane with his fingers. "More difficult than you can imagine."

Thor holds his hand out again. "Would you like to go riding with me?"

Loki blinks at him.

"On separate steeds, of course."

The magician looks at his hand. "I do not understand what you want with me, Son of Odin. I will only hurt you."

"I am not easily hurt."

Loki licks his lips in thought again, reaching his hand out to Thor's. The blonde closes his fingers before he can pull away as he did before, smiling brightly.

"We will leave immediately," he says. "Let us get our saddles so that we—"

"I do not need one," Loki says. "I only ride bareback."

Thor shrugs, dropping his hand. "Suit yourself."

The blonde goes to his own horse, Kerr. He is named for the wetlands that he was born in, for his mother was being transported to the royal palace while pregnant and she could no longer hold him in. His fur is nearly golden, with a pure white mane and tail.

"Must you be so pristine?" Loki asks as he leads Scara to the exit. There is not even a rope, she is just following him.

"It is a habit," Thor says, fastening the last belt of his riding equipment before leading Kerr after them. "How is your eye?"

Loki gives him a small glare before swinging onto Scara's back without her giving any protest. "I am only doing this for Scara, I will have you know."

"As expected," Thor says, climbing onto Kerr as well. "Where would you like to go?"

Loki whispers something to Scara before announcing that he has no idea.

"I will follow wherever Scara takes us, then, yes?"

Loki gives a small smile, stroking her neck. "A wonderful idea, prince." He takes a fistful of mane and clicks his tongue, taking off.

Thor follows after, their speed slowly increasing the longer they ride. Thor comes up on Loki's side, smiling brightly at the look of pure bliss on his face. Loki glares when he notices, but Thor just laughs, pulling ahead to make a race out of it. There is no real destination, of course, but they finally come to a far off and shallow. It is one that does not eventually reach the River Bifrost.

They let the horses rest and drink, Thor dropping onto his back to stare up at the clouds while Loki leans against Scara's side.

"That was quite amazing, Loki," he says at length.

"What was?" he asks.

"I have never seen anyone stay on Scara for more than a minute. I myself was thrown as well."

Loki shrugs. "I am good with animals. Certain ones, in any case."

"I believe you. Would you like to watch the clouds with me?"

Loki frowns at him. "Why would I—" He cuts off, eyes looking up over Thor and going wide. "Thor."

The blonde leaps up and spins around, wishing to the Allfather that he had brought a weapon to fight the creature before them.

There are multiple species of Snipe, being the Bilgesnipe (the ugliest and the least dangerous, party because it is the most docile but also because it is the biggest and therefore does not usually pay attention to those smaller than it), the Dragsnipe (a scaly, red-eyed, cold-blooded beast and the most dangerous), and the Berasnipe (a fur and horn covered omnivore that has a knack for claiming territory). The last two only exist because of mutations, but now they are prominent throughout the kingdom.

The creature before them is the Berasnipe. It has shaggy brown fur, four horns on it is head as well as a set of antlers, a row of dull spikes going down the middle of its back, and a long, furry tail with a ball of sharp spikes at the end. It has a supreme sense of smell and an adequate climbing ability, not to mention the fact that it would much rather each meat that a paw full of berries.

Both horses spook the instant that they see the beat, and while Loki is able to leap onto Scara in time, Thor is left behind.

"Wonderful," he mutters, backing slowly away from the creature.

Thor only gets a few steps into the river as he backs away before the beast begins to charge, but at that precise moment, a feral snarl rips out of the woods on the other side of the river completely, and out comes another of the great beast, this one landing with a thud beside Thor.

This one, though, has eyes of green emerald and fur a raven black. Thor has never seen one of such col—

Oh, of course.

"Loki?" he asks, reaching out to the black fur as the brown-furred beast gages its new opponent.

Loki growls at him, and suddenly his voice is echoing through his head: _"Go to the horses, you fool!"_

Thor blinks at him. He cannot leave! He never leaves a fight, and what if Loki gets hurt? It took all this to finally get Loki out here and he is going to get an injury. He will _never_ want to spend time with Thor again!

Loki growls and kicks him, sending him flying to the other side of the river. At the movement, the fight begins, and Thor only stops watching the spectacle when Loki yells into his mind about the horses again.

The blonde runs into the forest, following the tracks until he finds them huddled together in another small clearing. The thuds, booms, and roars of the "two" Berasnipe still reach them.

Kerr whinnies in fright and goes straight to Thor, but Scara snaps at him when he comes closer.

"Listen, you," Thor says exasperatedly. "If you want to see Loki again you are going to have to come with me. Follow along or stay lost out here." He snaps his teeth back at him before urging Kerr slowly and calmly forward. As Thor suspected, Scara eventually follows, though weary.

Thor does not go close enough to see the battle that seems to rage on forever so that he can stay with the horses, but when it seems to finally end, the forest is absolutely drowning in silence.

"Stay here," he says to the horses, rushing silently to the forest edge. Most see him and are ready for loud footsteps, but Thor is a hunter. He knows what he is doing.

The brown Berasnipe is lying dead on the opposite side of the river, and Loki is pushing up from a kneeling position beside it, back in his human form. He seems to be cradling something at his side.

"Loki!" Thor calls, jumping through the river.

The magician turns to glare at him, and that's when Thor sees that what the man is cradling isn't just _at_ his side, but it _is_ his side, where there is a gaping gash.

"Loki, you are—"

"I am _fine_," he snaps, leaning against the dead beast for obvious support. "I am a magician, remember? I can heal myself."

"Is that why you still have that black eye?"

Loki ignores him, pulling his arm from his wound. It is sticky and the blood is still leaking. A soft blue light glows around his hand, and he hisses in pain when he presses it back to the wound.

"Loki," Thor says, squatting down to look at it closer, the black fabric of his short torn and mixed into the ripped flesh as well. "Though they are not magic, I believe it would be better to go to one of the castle healers…"

"I said I am _fine_," he snaps. "I've taken care of myself since I was twelve. I do not need any help."

Thor sighs, standing back up to whistle to the horses, Scara going straight to Loki and Kerr coming cautiously to Thor. The blonde pulls out the emergency aid pack from the small bag on the saddle, taking out a cloth.

"At least wash it first," he says, going over to the river to wet it.

"I am trying to close it," he says. "I will clean it when it is shut. It will sting less."

Thor holds the cloth out to him anyway. "You must remove the bacteria is and pieces of fabric before sealing them inside of you. Do it yourself, if you wish, but please make sure it is done."

Loki gives a dark look, but the blue light disappears and he snatches it. "Go away," he mutters.

Thor does, just glad that Loki humored him. He goes back to the river, sitting by its edge to keep Kerr company as he drinks. Scara is still beside Loki.

A few moments later, though, Loki appears at Thor's side, Scara still beside him.

Thor looks up to see that his wound is not yet clean, nor is it healed.

"I cannot see the entirety of it," Loki mumbles, holding the cloth out to Thor. "I…need your help." For the gash is from the front to the back, almost in a full semi-circle.

Thor nods, knowing he will make Loki angrier if he laughs. As he rinses what blood _is_ on the cloth, he instructs Loki to sit.

"I will stand," he says, leaning lightly against Scara.

"Suit yourself," Thor says, kneeling beside him to reach the wound so that he may pick out bits of fabric and clean the blood.

Loki hisses, but Thor knows he is being gentle. As well as being alight-footed hunter, he has helped performed many births with the royal animals, including the sure and steady hand that is required for grooming.

When Thor is finished, Loki sits down in a huff, his knees tucked beneath him.

"The thing about my healing abilities," he says quietly, again pressing the blue glow to his still bleeding wound (it is very deep), "is that it takes so much energy to use that it sometimes takes three days to completely heal something unless I keep going until I pass out from exhaustion. That's why I do not heal what I have unless it can be fatal, such as this. It drains me too much."

Thor frowns. "Then why do you refuse to go to a healer?"

"Because _they_ refused to see _me_."

"They will not if I am with you."

Loki rolls his eyes. "There you go, throwing your power around again."

"I am a prince. It is my right to use the power that has been given me."

"And if I used my right as a magician and threw _my_ power around?" Loki asks, the blue light turning red. Thor cannot tell if it is intentional or if it is because of his mood change. "What then, Thor? You'd all be _dead_."

Thor places a hand over Loki's, deciding to address what is more important. "Why did the color change?"

Loki looks down to the red with pure panic in his eyes. He stops the light instantly, dropping his hands to look down at what part of the gash he can. It is stopped bleeding now, but only the front half has been scabbed over.

"It is fine," he says. "I just need a break."

"We should take you to the palace healers."

"Stop suggesting it, prince. I am not going to—" He cuts off, crying out in pain as the scabbed part splits open, blood again leaking, though now only lightly.

"Enough, Loki," Thor says, taking his hand again. "I have been trying not to use my power on _you_, but you leave me no choice. I order you to come to the healers with me."

Loki glares up him, but the pain overcomes most of it. "And if I refuse?"

"Then I will care you. You are too weak to fight me."

Loki sighs angrily, patting Scara's side. She drops down beside him, and the magician uses what strength he has left to climb onto her back, wrapping his arms around her neck.

Thor swings onto Kerr, and they all start back to the caste at a slow trot.

Halfway back, Scara gives a panicked whinny, and Thor turns to see that Loki has passed out and is beginning to slip off of her. He quick goes around and stops the horses, beginning to pull Loki off of Scara to seat him with him on Kerr. The she-devil, though, snaps at Thor and backs away, causing Loki to fall off completely.

Thor swoops down with both hands and grabs under his armpits to keep his head from hitting the ground, but it does not do much for the wound.

"Great going," the blonde mutters, pulling Loki carefully up to sit in front of him. He cannot lie him across or he will be lying on his wound. Now that Loki is safe in Thor's arms, he urges Kerr faster, Scara blazing behind them. He must ride through part of the village to get to the palace, ignoring any incredulous looks he gets from his people.

He rides straight inside of the castle, thankful that the healers are on the first floor.

"Master Thor!" Idonea says, looking up from her desk of herbs and things. "Is that—"

"It does not matter who it is," Thor growls, dropping carefully to the ground and holding Loki up.

She presses her lips into a tight line and nods. "Bring him this way," she says. "The horses will have to stay out here."

Scara slams her front hooves against the floor in protest.

"_You are_ the one who made him fall," Thor snaps. "Wait _here_."

She snorts at him, but stays, going over to Kerr.

"She listened to you?" another healer named Lif says in awe. "Scara _listened_ to you? It seems like just yesterday that I was wrapping up your arm after you were thrown from her back!

"We do not have time for this!" Thor booms, taking Loki in his arms.

Idonea and Lif usher him into the room behind the desk, lying Loki onto one of the patient tables. They rip off what is left of his shirt and begin cleaning the blood right away, muttering about the stitching that they'll have to do.

"And you better do it," Thor growls, leaning against the wall by Loki's head. "Because if he dies, there is no place that you can hide that I will not find you."

They each give him questioning looks as they continue to work. "He is important to you?" Lif asks.

Thor nods.

They nod as well, suddenly working a whole lot faster.

"Where did he get this?" Idonea asks.

"He saved me in a clearing in the Truitt Forest, by the River of Gerda, from being killed by a Berasnipe. The creature is now dead."

Lif's eyes widen as Idonea gets a needle and thread out. "And this is all the damage he obtained?"

"We all know of his magic, Lif," Idonea says. "Judging by the size of the gash in comparison to Berasnipe claws, he would have had to shape shift into something of equal or larger size. He would have been cut in half as a human. There are also signs of self-healing, if this split scab has anything to say. Master Thor?"

"You are correct," the blonde says. "Shape shifting to save me and using so much healing power drained him, though, so he was unable to finish."

"It is a good thing he was able to stop what bleeding he could, then. I am not sure if he would have made it."

The rolls his eyes, looking out of the window. "Maybe if he had listened to me and come straight here he would not have passed out."

"Shut up, prince."

Thor snaps his head over to Loki, eyes half-lidded. "You are already awake?" he asks. "But you lost so much—"

Loki holds a hand up, giving dark looks to Idonea and Lif as they make _sure_ they do not make eye contact with him as they work on his gash. "Must they?" he growls.

"You do not have to if you want to die," Thor says.

The magician narrows green eyes. "When did _you_ become fluent in sarcasm?" He holds his hand up again. "Never mind, I do not care. Where is Scara?"

Thor is about to tell him that she is not allowed in, but the horse must have heard him, because she comes trotting in anyway, Kerr right behind her. Thor gives Idonea and Lif an apologetic look, both who are too afraid of the now conscious magician to protest.

"I am fine, I am fine," Loki says to her, running his fingers through her mane. "I will live. I will not leave you."

It is a long while later before Idonea and Lif bid Thor and Loki farewell, shuffling out and closing the door behind them. This is a good time in the palace, and there are no others in the room on the other beds. Thor is unaware of the amounts for the village healers, though.

"Where is my shirt?" Loki asks, pushing very slowly into a sitting position.

Thor tilts his head in question. "The ripped one?"

"The only one I have, Thor."

The blonde picks it out of the trash bin. "What do you need it for?" he asks, handing it to him.

"I can repair it," he says, closing his eyes.

An energy begins to wrap around the room, and in a flash of light, Loki's shirt is good as new.

"Do you need help putting it on?" Thor asks.

Loki sighs. "Yes."

When the shirt is on, Loki lifts up the side of the fabric over the wound and holds his hand to it, an ice blue light wrapping slowly around the stitching.

"I numbed it," he says before Thor can ask. "Now I will not have to stay here."

Thor sighs. He knew this was coming. "Please stay, Loki. In the castle. Just until you are better."

The magician glares at him. "Your inability to protect yourself almost got me _killed_. Why would I want to be around you any longer than I must?"

Thor was afraid of this as well. "If you stay until you are better, I will let you alone once you are gone."

Loki blinks at him before looking over at Scara. "Deal," he whispers.

**XxX**

Thor had made all of the preparations for Loki to stay until the stitches could be removed and there was no fear of the wound re-splitting. With Loki's magic abilities, that was only three days, and Thor has long since then stopped the rumors of his stay so he would not be even more talked about when he was back in his life by the riverside.

The last that Thor saw of Loki was his saying goodbye to Scar, and then simply walking away with only an emotionless look to the blonde. No words between them, or even a bat of an eyelash from the magician.

Thor did not know him for very long, but he felt as if an entire piece of him was walking away instead of a man, leaving a wound far greater than any Berasnipe ever could.

**XxX**

_4 Days After Loki's Leave…_

Thor never used to go to the arena in the middle of the night. Partly because it was hard to see even with torches being lit up, but also because no one would ever want to come with him. Now, though, he has been here for four different nights, practicing against the dummies. This fourth night he is punching against a large bag, but his recent hole screams too loud, and he stops to rest his forehead against it instead.

"Would you not like something with flesh and blood to hit?" a voice behind him asks.

Thor whips around in a rage, striking blindly at the voice. He misjudged it, though, and the man is many more feet away than he thought.

He laughs, and Thor freezes. He heard Loki laugh exactly once, and that was on the last day of his stay in the castle. Thor was on his way to the dinner feast (which Loki refused to attend and simply stayed in his room) when he was suddenly tripped backwards, and he had turned over to see none other than Loki standing on the back of his cape.

"Did you not hear me come up behind you, oh prince?" Loki had asked, eyes crinkled up in his laughter.

Thor would have usually reprimanded whichever friend had done it, but this being Loki, he simply smiled.

When Loki had noticed it, though, he glared and walked away, informing Thor that he would be leaving later that night.

"Loki?" Thor asks the figure.

The man reaches up and pushes back the large hood of his dark green cloak (Thor can only tell because he is right beside one of the torches), revealing raven black hair and emerald green eyes. "Hello, prince."

Thor smiles, but then it falters. "Why are… What are you doing here?"

He gives a light shrug, walking slowly over to one of the swords lying on the ground. "I've been watching you here," he says. "I've seen you fight before, but you have been…off…since I left you. Either too slow and therefore sloppy or too eager and therefore sloppier." He looks back at him, kicking the sword up by its hilt to catch it without looking. "Why is that, oh prince?"

Thor frowns. "What do you mean?"

Loki smirks, using his magic to swirl the sword in a circle around a single finger. "You miss me."

Thor rolls his eyes, turning back to his punching bag. "What do you want, Loki?"

The magician is instantly at his side, leaning against the bag with the same smirk. "Have you recovered from your fall?"

Thor narrows his eyes. He is growing impatient.

Loki sighs, averting his eyes. "Maybe your incompetence did almost get me killed, but…" He pushes away from the bag, walking slowly away. "Maybe I miss you as well."

_Now_ Thor's smile does not falter. "You do?"

Loki grins back at him. "Maybe." He winks before kicking up another sword and catching it in his free hand. "Would you like something with flesh and blood to practice against?"

Thor tilts his head in question. "Are you challenging me to a duel, magician?"

Loki turns away, walking further into the middle of the ring, where the torchlight barely reaches and Thor can hardly see him in the pitch of the night. There is no moon tonight. "I am. Are you stupid enough to accept it?"

Thor laughs, picking up his own sword and going after him. "I will _never_ back down from a challenge!"

Loki whips around right away, holding both swords in front of him. "Even a two on one?"

Now Thor is frowning again. "What do you—"

Suddenly, a hazy light begins to break out around the magician, and his figure splits to reveal two Loki's, each of them with two swords.

"As amazing as that is," Thor says, forcing his jaw not to drop, "that is a _little_ unfair."

Both Loki's laugh, and the same haze erupts around the Loki on the right until he disappears so that there is only one. "How dull," he says, tossing aside both of the swords. "I do not like fighting one-on-one."

Thor tilts his head again, dropping his sword as well. "Hand to hand?"

Loki shakes his head. "Have you ever been to The Ledge?"

"You mean the one that overlooks the Bifrost?"

Loki nods.

"Once, but I have not had a reason to go back."

Loki gives a small smile. "Well, you have one now. Put out the torches."

Thor does as Loki puts all of the weapons away, and then Thor follows him as fast as he can, running up the stands of the coliseum until they are running along the very top edge. Thor will not question him. He is just glad that the hole in his chest is…gone.

"Have you ever flown, prince?" Loki asks, stopping on the edge closest to the Bifrost.

"No," the blonde says, standing beside him. "Why?"

"Do not move." Without any warning at all he leaps off of the edge, and if Thor didn't know how odd he could be he would have tried to grab him back. But with a flash of bright green light, Loki is gone, and in his place is the largest eagle that Thor has ever seen in his life. The birds are usually white and golden, but this one is pure black, proof that it is Loki. It circles up to land beside Thor, and Loki's same telepathic voice from seven days again is in his head again:

"_If you tell anyone that I let you ride on my back I will peck your eyes out,"_ he says, spreading his wings so they are out of Thor's way.

Thor smiles, crawling carefully on. "Deal."

Loki drops out again before soaring up, flying towards The Ledge. It is a grassy hill that juts out above the water, overlooking the Bifrost and any ships that sail to it through the stars.

When the eagle-Loki lands, Thor climbs off, and the bright green comes again until Loki is back in his normal form. He sits down on the edge, dangling his legs off. Thor sits behind him, sideways in which his shoulder is pressed to the magicians back.

"It is so dark up here," the blond muses, wrapping his cape around his shoulders.

"I know," Loki says quietly. "The torchlight does not reach this high. I come up here often."

Thor purses his lips. "May I ask you a question?"

"No. Do you see those stars over there?"

Thor looks to see where he is pointing. Yes. What do they look like to you?"

Loki shrugs. "Only a tree."

Thor laughs. "I see a horse and cart."

Loki shakes his head. "You are looking too far to the left. I see that, too. Do you see it there beside—"

"The boat?" Thor stands, watching the ship sail in from the stars and down to where the Bifrost Lake meets The Abyss. It continues to docking, where Thor strains his eyes to see who it is that's—

He frowns. "Those are my friends," he says, watching as Lady Sif and the Warriors Three walk off to tie the boat up.

Green flashes behind him, and Loki's eagle form is beside him. _"Let's go see what they are up to."_

Thor nods, crawling on. "They have never snuck off without me before."

"_They probably could not find you, you oaf."_

Loki drops before Thor can retort, soaring down to land silently on the low roof beside where the four stand on the dock.

"It was not right, Fandral," Sif says darkly.

"Oh, where's your sense of adventure?" Fandral laughs. "They did not even know we were there!"

"My sense of _adventure_," Sif snaps, "does not involve spying on the bathing of those I am not attracted to."

"You did not have to come, you know," Volstagg says, pulling a fruit out of his knapsack. It is a glimmering star fruit, and Thor knows they only grow in the land of only women, called Vanaheim, which holds the sister race of Asgard.

"Yes," Hogun adds. "We all know of your crush on Thor."

This is no surprise to the blonde. He has long known of her affection, and has thus ignore it since his feelings are far from the same. He sees her as a sister, which she knows as well.

Sif sighs. "I still do not understand his fascination with the magician," she mutters. "He is yet realizing how dangerous he is!"

Loki flashes from his the eagle to his normal form, flipping off of the roof before Thor can hold him back. So the blonde ducks down behind the roof ledge so he is not seen.

"Do not you have anything _better_ to do than talk about me?" Loki asks them, sickly sweet.

Thor suppresses a groan.

"_You_," Fandral growls. "You have no business here."

"Mmm, I suppose not. But really, do I have business anywhere?"

"What do you want, magician?" Volstagg asks darkly.

Loki chuckles. "To prove a point."

Thor pinches the bridge of his nose. He will not come out of his hiding place, no matter _what_ Loki says. He will not reveal himself. He will not—

"You say I am dangerous? Maybe I am. But to Thor? Your beasty blonde with an insatiable thirst for adventure?" He laughs. "I am no danger."

"You are," Hogun says. Thor cannot see him, but he knows he is glaring. They do not call him Hogun the Grim for nothing. "Thor is good—more than we'll ever be—and you will use that against him. You will corrupt him and get him to do your bidding."

"And what is this bidding you are convinced of?"

"We know what you are, heathen," Sif snarls. "Where you are from.

There is silent before Loki whispers: "How?"

"We spoke to Hd," Volstagg says. "He told us because he believed it would save a life."

"It is to be kept _secret_," Loki growls.

Thor frowns. Does not everybody know of his magic? It must be something else, but what…?

"And why should we keep secrets for _you_?" Fandral asks.

"I AM NOT _DANGEROUS_!" Loki screams, green light flashing. "But I will be, if I need to be." Another flash. "Do not test me."

Thor knows the footsteps walking away are Loki's.

"We—we'll tell him!" Sif stutters, and at that Thor knows Loki must have transformed into something fierce to frighten _her_.

"Not unless I tell him first," Loki says, voice far.

Thor crawls silently to the other side of the roof, jumping down to follow after Loki in the shadows. He finds the magician in his usual spot by the rivers edge, dangling over to stare at his reflection.

"What did you turn into to scare Lady Sif like that?" the blonde asks, sitting down beside him.

"My true form," he whispers.

Thor looks down at the water, noticing Loki's reflection as well. His eyes widen, taking in the red eyes, little horns, and blue skin with blue-grey patterns.

"What are you?" he asks, though he knows.

"I am a runt," he says even quieter than a whisper. "The monster that parents tell their children about at night."

"You are not a monster, Loki."

"_Then what am I_?" he snarls, body now matching his reflection. There was not even a green flash; he just seemed to…melt.

"Just because you are a Frost Giant," Thor says softly, staring straight into blood red eyes, "does not mean you are a monster. You were raised as an Asgardian, and therefore are not the same."

Loki looks away. "Oh, but I _would_ be one if I had not been _taken_ from my own species?"

"I would not have met you. I do not know. If there are evil Asgardian's, there can be good Frost Giant's."

"I was taken during the war," he says, enveloping in a green glow before being back in his…well, it is not his normal form anymore. It is only his Asgardian one. "I do not know who took me, and the family they put me into was not allowed to tell me. I left as soon as I could, for they did not like me." He squeezes his eyes shut. "Why was I taken, Thor? Why would anyone _here_ want to take home a _Frost Giant_?"

Thor reaches up to hold lightly to the back of his head, turning him to look at him. He smiles warmly at Loki's surprised eyes. "I have no idea."

Loki blinks a couple of times before bursting into laughter, dropping his forehead to Thor's shoulder.

"I am never going to get away from you, am I, oh prince?" he asks.

Thor pats his head before dropping his hand. "I doubt it."

Loki leans away, pushing his hair out of his eyes. "Want to go see who will win in a one-on-one fight?"

Thor grins. "I thought you did not like that kind."

Loki stands, smirking down at him. "I can make an exception."

Thor laughs, standing as well. "Will we fly, or shall we go on foot?"

"Flight."

When they land, Thor bets Loki a room to have of his very own in the castle that the blond will win.

Needless to say, Thor loses.


	2. (title too long lol)

[Chapter summary: In which Thor becomes the one to know Loki better than any other.]

**Chapter Two: The Tales of Old, of Present, and of Future**

Thor and Loki do not end up back at the castle until first light. The magician did not come to Thor to get to The Ledge until well passed midnight, and it being the middle of the warm season, it gets light very early. No matter how early, though, Thor knows that the first light is always when his mother gets out of bed to watch the full rise of the sun. Most others get up at the first light as well, but it is not to see the sunrise. It is just because they are getting up.

He assures Loki that she will not treat him as everyone else does, and when Loki finally agrees, the blonde sends a carrier hawk to the balcony so that she knows to meet them in Thor's own bedroom.

His room is decorated in red and gold, his usual armor hanging on his wall as he is instead in black pants, a red shirt, and deer hide boots. He has a very large bed, a dresser as tall as he, a large door that leads onto a balcony that overlooks the Bifrost and part of the village, a desk he has not used in eons with a chair used slightly more, a large full length mirror, and one wall entirely dedicated to the heads of some of his more noteworthy kills. There are heads of all three Snipe (he can take them down when he is prepared, but last time he was most definitely not), for example, and while Thor's bedroom floor is of hard stone, there are the soft hides of some of those kills as rugs.

"At least you've killed them before," Loki says, tracing a finger over the teeth of the Berasnipe head.

Thor is about to explain his not being ready, but there is a light knock on the door, and Thor calls that whoever it is may come in.

Thor's mother, Frigga, comes in with a warm smile on her face, eyes going straight to the blonde as he sits on his bed. "You wanted to—" She cuts off, noticing Loki. Her eyes widen for a moment before she smiles again. "You are Loki, the magician," she says as warm as her smile.

Loki swallows. "Yes," he says quietly. "And you are Frigga, the queen." He drops the shirt he is holding. "I…I am sorry for intruding. I should go."

"Oh, nonsense," she says, flitting her wrist and walking over to sit at the chair beside Thor's mirror. "It is lovely to finally meet you. Everyone is always talking about you, after all—and I will have you know, it is not all bad."

Loki actually gives the tiniest of smiles. "Thank you," he says softly.

"Of course, dear. Come sit." She points to the bed. "Obviously there is something important to discuss if Thor wrote so urgently."

Thor uses his strength to easily lift up the chair with Frigga still on it and sets it down closer to the bed, knowing she would rather be close than far.

Thor and Loki sit beside each other on the edge of his bed, far enough apart that they do not roll into each other.

"Now," she says, taking one of Thor's hands and simply patting Loki once on the knee. She does not quite know him well enough to hold his hand. "What is all this about, then?"

Thor launches straight into it: "Are you aware of how many villagers do not have places to stay?" he asks.

"I am," Frigga replies. "Exactly one. You are wondering if this person"—she smiles at Loki—"may have a place to stay in the palace?"

Loki ducks his head as Thor nods.

"I must speak to your father, darling, though if it were solely up to me, he would have his own room by the fall of night. That being said, no matter his decree, Loki _will_ have a place to stay with us." She smiles brightly and stands. "The nearest vacant and splendorous room is the one right above this one. Will that be sufficient, or shall we give him the smallest on this floor?"

Thor looks over at Loki.

The magician bites his bottom lip. Thor has yet to see him act like this. It is almost smirks and cockiness. "It does not matter to me."

"The one above!" Thor booms. "We can swing into each others rooms through the balconies!"

Frigga smiles, and Loki actually manages a laugh.

"A _splendid_ idea, dear," Frigga says. "You go show him his new quarters, and I shall meet you there once I have spoken to Odin." She leans down to kiss Thor's cheek before chuckling. "I shall spare you," she says to Loki, simply patting his before bustling out.

Thor laughs, standing and putting the chair back. "See, I told you she would like you."

Loki nods, standing slowly. "I do not know how to feel about it," he says quietly. "She did not even ask any questions about me. She _knows_ who I am, so is she not afraid that I will steal something from the halls?"

"Of course not," Thor says, grasping his shoulder. "She trusts who I trust, and I trust that you will not. You will learn to accept that trust in due time. Now, come, I will show you to your new room."

Loki follows after him, down the hall, up the nearest staircase, and down that hall to the bedroom above Thor's. It is shaped exactly like that one, and holds a large bed, a tall dresser, a desk, and a balcony. The animal decorated places in Thor's room, though, are simply bare here.

"We can change the color scheme if you wish," Thor says, looking around at the green and silver. "There are four bedrooms exactly like mine, and yours is the top. The room below mine is yellow and black, and the room below that is blue and bronze. It is a scheme in itself."

Loki gives a light smile, walking slowly to the blank wall. "The only thing I want change," he says, dragging a finger down the wall, "is this wall. Are there any extra shelves around? No room of mine is complete without books."

Thor smiles, sitting down on the bed. He knows that Loki is not completely comfortable with moving in, but the fact that he is trying makes the blonde very happy. "Do you read often?" he asks.

"When I can," Loki says, going away form the wall to make his way to the balcony. "Sadly, that is not often. There is not to do when one owns so little, so when I do come across them they are finished within three days or less, depending on their size and subject."

"And which have you read?" Thor asks, walking out with him to lean against the stone railing.

Loki breathes out through his nose, jumping up to stand on the railing. "The world of Midgard and other realms, the witches that used to 'plague' the kingdom…you know, the like. I can shift into creatures you've never seen before, and I can name the number of stars from here to Hel, and of course everything we have on my true people." He grins down at Thor, skin turning blue and eyes melting red. "Did you know," he says, hopping down beside Thor, "that _both_ sexes of my species can become pregnant? It is not that we're both born with the capability of it, either. The male…" He trails off, shifting back to his Asgardian form and giving the tiniest of smirks. _This_ is the Loki that Thor knows. "Maybe you do not want to hear about this."

Thor cocks an eyebrow. "I am over two-thousand years old, Loki. I am fully educated in such things. It does not bother me."

Loki smirks larger, leaning against the balcony beside him. "The release itself will _change_ the male during the time of the pregnancy. Females are born equipped for childbirth, but when males are together, it changes them. It is guaranteed a child one-hundred percent of the time except for abnormal defects in which there is a miscarriage or the like. So, let's say I never see another Frost Giant, and I stay with people in this realm forever. I can have children with both sexes, but the only way I myself will have them is if I shift into a female." He grins. "I find the concept fascinating."

Thor nods, finding that it is rather intriguing. It is fully acceptable for those of the same gender to be together in Asgard, so the fact that Frost Giant's are the same is no surprise. When Loki continues, though…

"The only way anyone will ever take me, of course, is if I am in disguise, so…" He shrugs. "Sex as a female it is."

Thor frowns at that. "You have only participated in intercourse as a female?"

Loki shrugs. "I do not like dominating."

"Oh? I did not take you as one to submit."

Loki chokes out a laugh. "Would you like to know why?"

"I would, actually."

He sighs, turning to face the scenery outside of the balcony instead of facing the room. "I have been on my own since I was one-thousand and two-hundred years old, and before that I tended to fend for myself in the family that was meant to care for me. I am one-thousand and nine-hundred now. Most of my life has been spent being independent—being my own _dominant_ character. I've pushed everyone away because I knew that people would hate me if they knew what I was. Then…my magic started." He holds tight to the railing, knuckles paling even more so than his porcelain colored skin.

"I was nearly one-thousand and five-hundred when it first began," he continues, "and then it didn't matter that I pushed people away. The other villages did that for me." He releases the railing, standing straight and crossing his arms. "I do not want to push you away, Thor, but it is so hard not to… It is what I am used to. But I am long sick of it, and that is why I missed you. I do not mean that it has to be you, but I need someone who will take care of me, and they need to realize that I am going to act like I do not need that because I am stubborn and so used to not having it.

"The problem is that there is nobody here who can do that, so I am latching onto you in the meantime. Maybe I had to rescue you from the Berasnipe, but you were persistent before that, and you did make up for my almost dying when you took me to the palace healers. And now look where I am! I am in my own castle bedroom in colors I happen to love, overlooking a rainbow of other colors and the perfect view of the stars." He sighs happily, leaning his elbows against the railing. "I love the stars. It is why I fly to The Ledge so often…"

He stands there in silent for a moment, paying no attention to the way that Thor is staring at him. The blonde knows that he is looking at him as a lover would, but he does not feel anything of that in himself. It is simple a deeper friendship than Thor has ever had, and he has only truly known the man since last night. Yes, Thor has Lady Sif and the Warriors Three, but where have they been for him lately? Telling him to leave Loki alone and that he is dangerous, and telling secrets because they believe he is dangerous. Sneaking off without him, refusing to come out at night with him in his time of need. He can hunt with them, and spy on Vanaheim with them, and he has fought many battles by their sides, but now… Well, now what? Will they continue to be in Thor's presence with Loki around, or will they shun him as well so they do not have to be around the magician from another realm? Thor has since figured out that the secret they would have told him was not of his magic, but of his heritage, and the "creature" that Loki turned into to scare Sif was only his true form.

"Anyway," Loki says, standing up straight again, hands folding behind his back. "That is why I do not like being dominant. I am sick of it. Though it is acceptable, there are not many men looking for another man to take for even the night, so I choose to submit as a woman. There are many spells to keep from becoming pregnant in that form, so…" He shrugs again. "That is what I do."

Thor gives a solemn nod, grappling for something to say so he does not ask Loki what his usual female form even _is_. Loki seems to read his mind, though, because he looks up at him with a knowing look and asks if the blonde would like to see it anyway.

Thor gives a sheepish smile. "I would, yes."

The same aura of energy crackles around the balcony, and in a green flash, Loki as a man is gone, and in his place is a woman that Thor cannot deny is one of the most beautiful he has ever seen. Like Loki's male form, she has porcelain skin, emerald green eyes, and raven black hair, though it is down to the middle of her back instead of being shoulder-length. It waves lightly in the breeze, wisping around Loki's face, neck, and shoulders. Her lips and nails are a dark green, and she wears thin black liner around her eyes. Her clothes are not much different, though with a more feminine cut: tight black pants tucked into tall suede boots that lace all the way up to the top, and a shirt that looks to be made of shimmering green snake scales. It is tight to her skin, with no sleeves, and with a very low neckline, revealing a hefty bosom.

The lady-Loki reaches up and tucks a few strands of hair behind her ears, giving Thor a sly look. "I am beautiful," he says with a laugh. "I can see it in your eyes. It is easy to be beautiful when you get to choose exactly how you look. This look is usually for the men that dominate a little…harder, though." He looks down at himself. "A show of a breast size like this, and what would you expect. I have another one, on the other hand, for when I am feeling a…softer sort of night." Another flash of green light, and standing before Thor is a completely different person.

While the other lady-Loki was indeed darker looking, ready for a hard night of multiple men, this one is more…angelic. Their bodies are the same, but instead of raven black hair, it is porcelain blonde that wisps around her skin. Instead of emerald green eyes, there are orbs the color of blue diamonds. Her pants are the same but white, her boots are now made of white deerskin and lined in places in what looks like white rabbit fur, and her shirt is a blue the color of ice above water. Instead of snake scales, it flows around her middle in a flow that reminds Thor of water lapping against his ankles and the falling of snow on the winter side of Asgard. Instead of a low neckline, it is high, right up to her neck. There are sleeves, though very thin and revealing all inches of her shoulders. Her nails are now the same blue as her shirt, and her lips are a light pink.

The softer lady-Loki laughs, reaching up to push her fingers through her hair and get it out of her face. "I cannot tell which one you like more."

Thor has the decency to blush, looking again into the bedroom, as he has yet to move from his position of leaning backwards against the balcony railing. "That is probably because I cannot decide."

A flash of green light and Loki is back in his male form, striding into the bedroom. "There are many other forms I could choose, as well, if anyone ever begins to have suspicions of those two. Ones with brown hair and matching eyes, or black eyes and hair the color of orange flames—your friend Volstagg, for example. It is not precisely my color." He snaps his fingers, black hair flashing before revealing bright orange hair.

Thor cannot help but laugh, following Loki back into the bedroom. "No, it most certainly is not."

Loki spends the next few minutes talking about his favorite appearances, inspecting the furniture of the room. Halfway through the inspection of the dresser there is a knock, and Thor booms for whoever it is to come in.

It is pushed open to reveal Frigga with her warm smile, accompanied by three other palace guards (who look rather frightened, but not as much as anyone usually would be; apparently it is already spreading throughout the castle that the magician isn't actually a danger to them) that Thor knows individually. Dangy is a woman with the most yellow of hair that Thor has ever seen, Canute is the best at moving things from one place to another because he can securely tie many upon many things together for one trip, and Folkuar has been assigned as Odin's official guard because he is the best at protecting anyone and anything. Frigga's own guard is Haldis, who is just as good as he, and her maidservant is Fulla.

"I have convinced the Allfather to let you stay!" she says, going across to take both of Loki's hands. Thor tells that he has to force himself not to pull away. There is much he is going to have to become used to if he wishes to survive in the presence of others. "These are Dagny, Canute, and Folkuar. I have brought them with me in case there is anything you own that is not in the castle. It is unknown to use where you slept, and I was simply wondering if you had any possessions in that place that you would like help with getting here."

Loki gives a very grateful smile, leaning back against the dresser that's just barely taller than his own frame. Thor is tall, but Loki is only shorter than him by two inches—at most. "That's very thoughtful of you," he says quietly (the confused looks that bloom on the faces of the three guards only barely does not bring Thor to laughter; they are surprised that a man thought to be so dangerous can be so quiet), "but all that I have to claim my own are the clothes on my back and a handful of battered books that I could gather up on my own."

Frigga nods and turns to the others, nodding to them that they can go.

They give shifty looks to Loki before going off, no doubt stay near in case something goes wrong.

"Thor, dear, if I may have a word?" Frigga asks.

Thor and Loki share a look and Loki shrugs, so Thor follows his mother outside of the door. Thor knows what it is about.

"Did he take it badly?" Thor asks.

His mother sighs, patting his cheek lightly. "You should talk to him yourself, darling. He will explain all of it to you."

"Right now? What about Lo—"

"I will stay with him, dear. We will be fine."

Thor nods, going off right away, his cape flaring out behind him. Maybe he will get an outfit of armor for Loki as well… They can go on hunts together, and explore things, and attend important feasts and ceremonies in the attire. Thor does not know if he would rather a black or green cape. He will have to ask.

He steps into his father's private room, spanning two floors in height and decorated in gold and a deep blue that matches the color of twilight when the sun is setting. It is both a library (Thor will have to sneak Loki in) and a study, filled with desks and parchment and feathers and bottles of ink. There is spiral staircase on the far side of the room from the door that leads to a walkway that circles the room so that Odin can reach the higher books.

"Good morning, my son," Odin says from where he stands at the top of the staircase, looking out of the circular window that overlooks his kingdom.

"Good morning, father," Thor says, going up the stairs to stand beside him. "Mother has told me to come and speak to you about Lo—about our new guest."

"You may call him by his first name, Thor," the Allfather says, not looking over at him with his hands folded behind his back. "He is a member of the palace and is to be treated as such. There are things you must know, though, before you choose to trust him enough to suggest 'swinging into your room by the balcony'." He looks over at him, one eye giving him a hard look. "Frigga tells me that you know what he truly is; that she could see it in your eyes the trust was for more than just his being an interesting friend."

Thor's eyes harden as well. He can already tell that Odin does not like the idea of Loki living in the palace. "I know more about him than any other, father. I know about his true heritage, of his being stolen, of living on his own, and of pushing people away before his magical abilities because he was afraid that he would hurt people."

Odin nods, looking away again. "And this does not change the trust you have in him? It does not change the feelings you have about staying here with us?"

"It does not."

"You do not believe he is dangerous, then?"

"He is only as such when he wants to be, but something like that goes for all of us."

"All the stories I told you about the war between our worlds and you believe that he will not hurt you?"

"He saved my life, father."

"Yes, I heard of such things. And then you saved his in return by bringing him here to treat his injury. The debt is paid, is it not? Will he not now turn on you?"

"He saved me _first_, father!" Thor says louder, beginning to lose his patience. He usually does not have much to begin with. "If he did not care he would have left me to fight the Berasnipe on my own!"

"Do not raise your voice at me, Thor."

Thor scoffs, turning away. "I am finished here," he growls, stomping down the stairs. "You refuse to listen to anything I say. No matter what words grace my lips you will continue to question my decision. I do not want to hear it."

"Please listen, Thor," Odin says, looking after him. "I can tell you of how he came to our realm."

Thor stops on the first step, looking back at him. "You know?"

"You must promise not to tell another soul, my son."

Thor nods, going back to him. "I promise."

Odin nods, looking out of the window again. "I know how he came to be here because I am the one that brought him."

Thor's jaw drops, but Odin continues before he can speak:

"It was during the war between our realm and Jotunheim. Their realm was in ruins, the Tesseract being brought securely back to Asgard. I was walking through the debris to bring the souls from our side that had died in the war to Valhalla, but in the process I stumbled upon a child. It was Jötunn child, crying hard, and I knew it had been abandoned. He was very small—a runt—and I assumed that was why he was left there during the battle. He was not worth protecting from us. When I…" He licks his lips, standing up straighter.

"When I touched him, he did not burn me with his intense cold, but he…changed color. The blue of his skin turned pale, and his deep red eyes melted to green. I could not just leave him there, so I brought him home. I thought he could be useful if another war ever came, and we could make a treaty instead of fighting. It was not until years later that I found out who his father was…" He sighs, letting his hands drop to his sides. "I never saw it coming that what I took could have started a whole new war instead."

Thor frowns. "I do not understand."

"He was not abandoned, but _lost_. He is the son of Laufey, the King of Jotunheim, and Farbauti, its Queen."

Thor's jaw drops again. "You took a… He is a _prince_? He has lived his entire life being hated when he could have lived in the riches of his own land in the same shoes as I?" he asks, incredulous.

Odin gives a solemn nod. "You must understand, Thor, that _I did not mean to_. If I had known he was simply lost I would have given him to one of the Jötunn prisoners we were going to let go as soon as we had all left the realm. But I thought he was abandoned because of his size. I thought wrong. I had given him to a family in the village to take care of him until he was old enough to fend for himself, and I could not give him back or he would have been killed. He did not know of his magic abilities at the time, of being able to change the color of his skin, for he was too young for them to become prominent. I would have brought him back and we would have both been killed, or just he before he had a chance to be touched lightly by that of his true kind and show them that he was one of them. So I kept him here, no way of taking care of him. That is it."

Thor grits his teeth, holding onto the railing at the top of the stairs. Loki was taken by Thor's own _father_ because he made a _mistake_, and then he didn't even have the decency to move him into the castle to maybe make up for it? He could have told Thor that they were brothers! They could have grown up together, always loving one another, and Loki could have had _friends_.

"How did he find out of his true heritage?" the blonde asks, voice coming out darker than intended.

"It is in his reflection," Odin says. "His reflection in the water is his true form. That is why he stays by the water so much. He noticed it for the first time when he was one-thousand years old, two-hundred years before he ran away from his old family to fend for himself. Blessed Heimdall found him, telling him what he was in a way that would hurt him the least. He did not tell him everything, but he told him enough. That was when he pushed the other villagers away, and when he found out of his magic the villagers did it for him."

Thor balls his hands into fists and goes down the spiral staircase. He does not want to hear anymore. Odin lets him go, only reminding him of the promise he made not to tell anyone else. Thor barely hears him, but he knows. He makes his way back to Loki's new room in a daze, trying to process what he is just learned. Loki has a family that wants him. Loki is like Thor! Loki is a _prince_!

He walks into Loki's room without knocking, a large flame in Loki's hand shrinking down to nothing as he and Frigga snap their heads over to look at him.

"He was showing me—" his mother begins, but she cuts herself off when Thor throws his arms around Loki's neck, hugging him tight.

Loki goes still before placing his hands lightly at the small of Thor's back, not exactly hugging the blonde back but certainly attempting it. "Thor, wha—"

"I cannot tell you," he says, "but I am so, _so_ sorry." He steps away, walking towards the balcony. He closes the doors behind him, taking in a deep breath. He does not want to take it out on Loki, but he needs to…think. He should tell him the truth, but he also promised… Maybe he will not tell him right away and he will wait. But then Loki will be angry at him for keeping it to himself for so long! He knows it is not easy for Loki to trust, so he should tell him right away to keep that trust! Then again, that might backfire and Loki will run away again, speaking to Heimdall and taking the Bifrost to Jotunheim so he can meet his family…

Thor groans, dropping his elbows to the railing.

A soft hand rests onto his back, and Thor turns to see his mother. "I know it is much to take in," she says quietly, "but you must keep it to yourself. He needs you, Thor, more than anything else."

Loki's early words jump into Thor's head: _"I do not mean that it has to be you, but I need someone who will take care of me.… I am latching onto you in the meantime."_

Thor sighs, standing up straight. "I know, but it will be hard to keep quiet about it."

"It will be easy when you think of it as protecting him," she says, patting his cheek. "I know you care for him or he would not be here. Be sure that that continues. I will see you later, darling." She walks off of the balcony, no doubt saying goodbye to Loki before leaving the room entirely.

Loki comes out after he hears the door click shut, leaning backwards beside Thor. "Anything you are allowed to tell me?"

Thor sighs, looking over at him. "My father tried to convince me that I should not let you stay here," he says. "I am simply sorry that only one of my parents is glad to have you."

Loki scoffs and flits a wrist. "I've never had a father and I do not need one now. Will you come and get my books with me? We'd fly, of course. It is not very close."

Thor smiles warmly, internally laughing at the idea of riding on the back of another prince. "Of course I will."


	3. A Feast for a Friend

[Chapter summary: In which anybody can wish on an Asgardian star, and Loki has never been happier.]

**Chapter Three: A Feast for a Friend**

The next morning, Thor is awoken by four figures all but throwing him off of his bed.

"You didn't even _tell_ us!" Sif snarls at him, jumping onto the bed so she can stare menacingly down at him.

Thor knows that she is speaking of the fact that Loki is staying in the palace. Obviously it is spread throughout the castle, at the very least. "I do not see why I would," he mutters, not bothering to cover his body from the way the blankets have revealed him. He sleeps without clothing, and his four friends have all seen each other so many times that it does not even matter anymore. The palace bathing pools _are_ gender separated, but Thor, Lady Sif, and the Warriors Three have bathed in rivers and lakes and things that they find outside of the grounds multiple times.

"And why _not_?" Fandral asks.

"Because you would do what you are doing now," the blonde says, stretching out on the ground. "You would insist on my high level of insanity and tell me to make him go away. I am not insane, nor will I kick him out. He is my friend, and I will not be badgered by my _other_ friends in not having him as a friend simply because you do not like him."

"But Thor!" Volstagg protests. "He is dang—"

"No," Thor says, standing to put on a pair of under-pants and an undershirt. He is in need of the bathing pool, while he is thinking about it. "He is not. I will not try to convince you of it, for you will refuse to be convinced, but I know that he is not."

"He is a Frost Giant, Thor," Hogun says matter-of-factly.

Thor rolls his eyes, leaning against the wall beside his bed. "I _know_ that. He told me, just like he said he would. Mother and father know as well. I know more than anybody else does, my friends." He glares. "Though if you keep pestering me of such things, I will be forced to no longer call you as such."

Sif frowns, jumping up so she can drop down to sit on the bed, bouncing slightly. "You know what he is and you are still allowing yourself to be friends with him?"

"Just because he is a Frost Giant does not mean he is dangerous. He has been here, in Asgard, his entire life, and was therefore not raised to be what we know as dangerous."

"That does not change what he is!" Fandral sputters.

Thor gives him a dark look. "You all remember Amora and Skurge, do you not?"

They nod. "Yes," Volstagg says, "but what does that have to—"

"There are evil Asgardian's, but are we going to trust them and not see them as dangerous just because they are _our_ people? Of course not! They were exiled for a reason, and no one in the kingdom will ever trust them again. Just because a Frost Giant is a Frost Giant does not mean he is evil, nor does being an Asgardian mean you are good. There are differences, my friends, and that will not change." He pushes off of his wall and walks towards the balcony. "I very much care what you decide. Will you stay as you are, refusing to see past your own noses, or will you accept him? In the meantime, as you think, I am going to invite my new _friend_ to the bathing pool." Thor bows in farewell, jumping back on his balcony railing before jumping up and swinging out of their sight, landing on Loki's.

He chuckles, loving how clever he is.

Loki's balcony door is shut (and mostly likely locked), so Thor gives it a light knock.

"Ugh, I am coming," his voice sounds from inside, and a moment later the door is opened to reveal Loki, hair a mess and only in under-pants. "Hi," he says, turning away and going back into the room.

Thor accepts this as an invitation and goes inside, closing the door behind him. "Did I wake you?" he asks.

"No," Loki says, flopping back down onto…the floor? There is a pillow and blankets piled up around him on the floor _beside_ the bed.

"Did you fall off the bed?"

"No, I…" He sighs, looking up at him from the stone. "I am so used to sleeping on the floor of a cave that I could not fall asleep on the bed. I came down here on purpose."

Thor smiles and crosses his arms, dropping down to sit in a crisscrossed position beside the man. "The fabric of the pillow has done wonders to your hair, my friend."

"Yours is not much better, oh prince," he mutters, rubbing at his eyes. "What do you want?"

"If you are awake enough, I was wondering if you would like to accompany me to the bathing pool."

Loki wrinkles his nose up. "With the sun up?"

"Well, yes, it is morning. The pools are the busiest at this time."

Loki shakes his head. "I only bathe at night. It is a…habit."

Thor nods in understanding, though he does not truly understand. "I will go with you tonight, if you wish. There are not many who enjoy doing anything once the sun has gone down. We rise with the sun and try not to stay up too late passed it."

Loki chuckles, stretching out. Thor cannot help but notice the muscles twitch through his arms and chest. For someone so thin, he is very fit. Thor is the opposite, his body brawny and thick all around. "I rise and fall as I please, really. Sleep is not one of my favorite things. It leaves me so exposed."

"Does your magic not protect you when you sleep?"

Loki smirks, snapping his fingers. Three figures of himself walk away from the walls that are not his bed, weapons in their hands. They melt away in green smoke, the weapons disappearing in a steel color. "Of course it does," he says. "On the other hand, it—"

There is a knock on the door, and Thor and Loki look over to it.

"It is me, darlings!" Frigga calls through. "Four little birdies told me as I was passing that Thor came up here!"

Thor smiles, and he cannot help but notice that Loki does as well. Loki raises his hand to the door and wiggles his fingers before saying that she may come in.

Thor's mother comes in with a bright smile, closing the door behind her to the dark room since there are no windows but for the closed balcony doors. "Oh, honestly, how can you even see?" she asks with a warm laugh. "Loki, be a dear and at least light _one_ torch."

Loki gives an affectionate eye roll, snapping his fingers for all of them to light themselves with fire instead.

"Oh, thank you, darling," she says, sitting down on the edge of his bed. "Is there a reason for your being on the floor?"

Loki nods, smiling up at her. "The bed was too soft for me."

She laughs. "A wonderful reason. Did my boys sleep well?"

"I did!" Thor booms, throwing his arms up. "Except that those 'four little birdies' of yours pushed me off of the bed."

"Oh, they'll get over it in due time," she says, flitting her wrist. "What about you, Loki? a new place to sleep, it could go in any direction."

"I slept well, thank you. I am used to moving around where it is that I sleep."

She nods. "Well, in any case, I have some news for the two of you." Her new smile lights up the room more than the torches. "No one else has been informed as of yet, because I wanted to make sure the two of you were okay with it first. I was speaking to Odin before falling asleep last night, and I believe it would be a lovely idea if we had a feast in the honor of our new palace resident." She smiles specifically at Loki. "It will not only give you a chance to let _everyone_ know that you are far from dangerous, darling, but to make some new friends once you have."

Thor thinks it is a wonderful idea, but he looks down at Loki, sure that he will not think anything of the sort.

The magician has his lips pressed into a soft line, but it is slowly curling up at the ends. Thor cannot tell if it is a true smile or not. "Yes," he says, looking at Frigga. "Yes, I think that's a wonderful idea as well. Thank you, Frigga. It means much to me that you are trying like this."

She smiles, leaning down to pat his cheek. "Of course, darling. Now, that will be tonight, so I will quick go inform everyone! Have a lovely day, boys." She is out, the door closing behind her.

"You _are_ okay with it?" Thor asks, making sure.

Loki takes a deep breath. "Not as much as I let on, but I will be alright. She is right in saying it will be an opportune time to show the people that I am not dangerous."

"It will not be everyone of the village, Loki. Just those that reside in the castle."

"Oh! Good. That is very good. That is a…lot of people, many of which have beaten me up." He sighs, draping an arm over his eyes. "I should just leave while I have the chance."

"I have a better idea," Thor says, taking his hand so that he can see his eyes. "Have you ever been on a hunt before?"

Loki frowns. "I've hunted before, yes."

The blonde grins. "Would you like to take the horses out and find a few wild boars? We can bring them to the kitchens for the feast tonight!"

Loki gives a warm smile in the glow of the firelight. "Yes. Yes, I would."

**XxX**

The thing about Loki is that, whenever he is doing anything, he can simply shift his image to get it done better. He can fight off creatures by turning into something bigger than them and simply scaring them, and he can kill a boar by flashing green to turn into a Dragsnipe and simply stabbing a claw through the tops of their heads so he does not damage them so greatly that they cannot use them at the feast.

"Next time we hunt," Thor had said as they rode back, the two boars they had caught strapped to the planks they brought along so that they horses could pull them easier, "we do it with bows and arrows."

Loki had smirked, stroking his hand down Scara's neck. "Whatever you say, prince."

Now Thor is all dressed in his armor, making his way down to Loki's room so that he may accompany him to the feast. He bursts into the room, his red cape flaring out behind him. Loki is standing in front of his full-length mirror. He is dressed in his usual outfit, with the tight black pants, tall suede boots, and black long sleeve.

"A feast, Loki!" he booms, closing the door behind him. "The king and queen are throwing a feast in your honor! I told you that it would all work out, did I not? My mother has welcomed you into the family!"

Loki sighs, turning to face the blonde. "She is only doing it for the people, Thor. She is putting on a show so they do not ridicule her so."

Thor tilts his head. "My mother loves you, Loki. I know that. She looks at you the same way that she looks at me. My father is not one to love deeply, but he will, in due time, accept it as well. She is not doing it for the people, Loki. She is doing it for you. I believe that—" Thor frowns in mid-sentence. The hair on the left side (Thor's right) of Loki's head has been tied tight, his raven black locks intertwined with each other and pinned back.

"What?" Loki says, looking down at himself. "Is there a hole in my trousers?"

"No, it is…your hair. Is that a braid?"

Loki blushes and looks down, both hands instantly flying up to hold it. "I—I forgot that I had it in. I was…bored."

Thor's frown changes to a smile. "Will you do mine?"

Loki looks back up at him. "You want me to braid your hair?"

The blonde shrugs, walking across the room to sit down on the edge of the bed. "I am bored."

Loki smiles, crawling on behind him. His fingers are nimble in the blonde locks, twining in and out until there are three smaller braids on one side of his head, not overpowering his usual look but certainly adding to it.

"There," the magician says, pulling Thor up to look in the mirror. "Big enough that everyone will see it, small enough that they will not comment. Now, tell me, do I look alright?" He opens his arms and looks down at himself. "I've never been to a feast before, and I feel as though I am going to be severely underdressed."

Thor chuckles. "Yes, you will be." He holds his own arms out. "Most of us will be in our armor. Plates of metal and a cape to flare dramatically out and get tangled up in everyone else's."

Loki laughs, turning to face the mirror himself. "We do not have to wear helmets, do we?"

"No, we do not wear them to feasts. Mine is just in my room."

"I just…choose something, then?"

"Yes."

Loki takes a deep breath, closes his eyes, and snaps his fingers. His clothes burst into bright green flashes so much so that Thor can no longer see the magician at all, and when it dims away, Loki is in an entirely different outfit, and he turns around to hold his arms out to Thor again. It is much black leather, with green and bronze, and a green cape that mach the deep emerald green of his eyes.

"Did I do alright?" he asks, looking down at himself. "I hardly look any worse than you do."

Thor smiles. "You did wonderful. Come, the feast will not wait for us, no matter who it is for."

They set off to the dining hall, and Thor cannot help but notice the aura of confidence that radiates around the magician. The way he looks ready to conquer the world with the look in his eyes and the way he walks. When T becomes king, Loki will definitely have a place at his side.

Thor does not give Loki any time to breathe before pushing open the doors of the dining hall, knowing he would probably just run instead of breathing at all. Everyone turns to stare at them, the obvious struggle on their faces of whether they should smile for Thor give blank looks for Loki. they choose to smile, and Frigga comes along before it gets any more awkward:

"Oh _honestly_, boys! Late for you own feast? How rude!" She hugs Loki first before Thor, then taking their hands and pulling them to the head of the table. She seats them as the table continued to eat, though with less joy than before. Odin is at the head of the table as he usually is, Thor is in the usual left seat, and where Frigga usually is at his right is taken by Fandral. It is instead Loki by Thor and _then_ Frigga, and by Fandral is Sif, followed by Hogun, and followed by Volstagg. the rest of the seats are taken up by other palace inhabitance.

"I would like your attention, everyone!" Frigga says, as if they are not all focused over in that direction anyway. When they are focused on her specifically, though, she continues: "I would like to introduce to you our newest guest in the palace!" She looks down at Loki. "I will not make him stand or introduce himself, of course, but this is Loki!" She smiles broadly at everyone, forcing out more smiles from them. "He will be staying with us indefinitely, so I hope you are all ready for another friend!"

Thor wants to throw a piece of boar at her to make sure she does not continue. She is severely overdoing it, and even Loki is staring to look as uncomfortable as the rest of the table behind his smile. The man is very good at pretending.

But Frigga realizes what she is doing, so she quick ends it and tells everyone that they may continue eating.

"I've barely even had half of what is at this table," Loki whispers to Thor as the blonde begins to fill his plate.

Thor grins. "Leave it to me, then," he says, continuing to load his dish. Once he has, he picks up Loki's and switches theirs, telling him to dig in before putting all of the same things back on his plate.

Nobody ever finished before Volstagg does, but Thor is almost a close second. Tonight, though Thor comes in third. Anyone who can see Loki from where they are sitting at the long dining table stares a lot, but both Thor and Frigga give them looks to quit it. Thankfully two of the closest are Lif and Idonea, so they've already had to put up with Loki at least a little bit.

About halfway through Loki's second plate, Thor notices that he and Hogun are having a bit of a stare down. He glares at the man of Grim, who subtly drops his gaze and goes back to still finishing off his first plate.

"Why do not you tell us a story, Loki," he says as dark as his gaze, not looking up.

"What of?" Loki asks, matching the darkness.

"Anything you want," Volstagg says around a mouthful.

"Anything _specific_?"

"How about one of the times you got a black eye," Fandral says cockily.

Frigga grips tight onto her fork and stabs her knife in the direction of the Warriors Three. Sif is being surprisingly quiet, so she is not pointing at him. "I am going to have every last one of you lynched if you keep this up," she whispers furiously. She gives Loki a look, who shakes his head. "I swear to the Allfather," she continues to the Warriors, "the three of you need to grow up. You are all over two-thousand years old and he is our _guest_. Treat him as such or get out and do not come back."

"Yes, your majesty," they answer quietly.

Thor notices Loki smiling, and he resists the urge to smile himself. He is glad that Loki is being stood up for, but he does not want his friends to think that he is turning against them.

When people are done eating, they do not sit at the table and wait for everybody else. Once you are done, you standing and push in your chair so that it is known that you've finished. That way, whoever else has finished can go over and talk to you. You can talk as you sit as well, but most would much rather stand so that they have more room for their feet and hands. Many are done before any of the eight at Thor's end of the table, but Loki and Thor happen to finish at the same time—Loki having had one more plateful than the blonde. Fandral stands with them, the three of them standing around the table.

"Do you think you would be alright with being introduced to a few individuals?" she asks, taking Loki's hand.

He sighs in thought. "I am not sure. I would like to, but I know that they do not want to have anything to do with me."

"It does not matter what they want, Loki," Thor says, resting a hand on his shoulder.

Loki gives a small smile. He opens his mouth to speak, but before he does, the balcony doors blow up in such a gust that only the Goddess of Wind could have summoned it. But she did not. It is instead someone that nobody _ever_ wants to be visited by.

Hela, the Goddess of Hel, in which are sent the dead that are neither honored nor dishonored (the honored go to Valhalla, which is of course kept by his father, and the dishonored are sent to Niffleheim), is stepping into the room with a very bright smile on her face. She is half dead and half alive, and nobody knows where it is that she came from. She just was, and the Allfather decreed that she would be in the world that she is half of.

"Oh, a party, how _lovely_," she says. "Just for Loki, even." She walks over to him, in which he is practically cowering up against Thor's side.

"What do you want?" he hisses.

"I came to make sure you didn't end up in my realm, silly!" she says, flicking his nose with her living hand. She looks over at Odin. "Shame on you, oh king, not inviting me to something so important."

Thor frowns. That is the same way that Loki addresses Thor, though he says "prince" instead of "king".

"I did not invite you for a reason, Hela," Odin says darkly, setting his goblet hard against the table. "You are not welcome here."

"I am just as welcome as he is," she snaps, pointing to Loki. "We both have magic abilities. That's why I am still alive after _you burned half of my body_." Her eyes erupt into flames in fury before it dies down. "So I think you can spare a bite or two of wild boar, do not you?"

That's when Loki acts up: he steps away from Thor, standing straight and tall. "Get out," he says.

She glares over at him. "Excuse me?"

"I said _get out_, Hela," he says, glaring at her. "You will ruin everything."

She blinks at him for a moment before grinning. "Oh, _I_ get it! You do not want them to know, do you?" Her grin turns to a dark glare. "Maybe you will not mind so much if I bring you home with me!" She lunges at him, and everyone around Loki darts to the side. Being touched by her dead side will bring you instant death, which is why she is so very unpopular around those that are…well, living.

But Loki does not move. In fact, Loki reaches out and grabs her wrist of bone and _snaps_ it.

The entire room seems to freeze, but Hela the most. She stares at the bone before staring over at Loki. She shoves him a few steps away and holds her living hand to the broken wrist, a black flame erupting around it. When it stops and she lets go, the bone is mended.

"Why you little—" she begins, but Loki cuts her off:

"Get out or I will _throw_ you out."

She snarls at him, taking a step forward to tower above him in a pillar of flame. "I was trying to be _nice_ to you!"

"You tried to kill me!"

"That was ONE TIME!" She snaps back into her usual height, the flames gone. "_You_ were the one who tried to—"

"_Leave me alone_!" he bellows, and it is in such a way that the entire dining hall shakes, including the toppling of a couple of glasses.

Hela narrows her eyes. "Fine," she says, turning around. "You get friends, but I do not. I understand." And she is gone in a gust of fire, flying out of the balcony doors, the wind of her pulling them shut before her.

Everyone turns away from the doors to where Loki was, but he is already walking out, the door slamming behind him. Thor does not stay for the awkward silence, but runs out after him right away. He catches up to him almost instantly, grabbing his hand.

"Leave me alone, prince," he snaps, pulling away.

"No, Loki," Thor says, simply grabbing it again.

The magician stops, looking up at him with the saddest eyes that Thor has ever seen him wear. "She messed up everything, Thor! I was supposed to act normal and she ruined all of it! Do you remember when we were on The Ledge? There was a shooting star, but you didn't see it because you were too busy watching the ship dock. I wished on that star, Thor. I wished that nothing bad would happen until nobody would care if it did! But I should have known better. You cannot wish on an Asgardian star when you are not an Asgardian.

Thor grabs his shoulder and shoves him against the wall, holding his forearm to his chest so he cannot go anymore. "You _are_ an Asgardian, Loki! It does not matter the color of your skin or your eyes or that you haven't had a friend up until now. You are my Asgardian brother, Loki, and I will defend that until the end of time."

Loki lets out a shaky breath, dropping his head so the blonde cannot see his face. "Maybe this was a bad idea."

"I do not care what you think about this, Loki. You belong here. Please."

Loki shoves him away, taking his face in his own hands. "I do not belong anywhere! Do not you get it! There is never been anywhere that I—"

Thor has had enough of this. He steps forward and wraps his arms tightly around Loki's shoulders, pressing him against him.

"Thor, what are you—"

"It is a hug. I know you've never gotten one before. It is a sign of affection. I will not let you deny it."

Loki sighs out deeply. "You are a lot bigger than I thought you were."

"I am not much taller than you are, though."

When Loki breathes in, Thor steps away, holding onto the side of his head that the braid isn't on. "You do not have to go back in there, if you do not want to," he says quietly.

"Actually…" a new voice says.

Thor and Loki look up to see Sif and Fandral, giving Thor and Loki a set of awkward looks that Thor does not understand. He smiles, pulling Loki closer to him and wrapping his arm around his shoulders again. Loki mutters a protest, but Thor ignores it.

"Everyone is rather impressed," Fandral says, resting a hand on his hip. "Apparently they are not afraid of you when you are using all that danger to protect them."

Loki glares. "And yourselves?"

Fandral chuckles. "You do not know want to know what I think." He turns around and walks away, back into the dining hall.

Sif says, though, a very small look on her face as she walks closer to them. "I am sorry," she says to Loki. "I decided who you were before I knew you. It is not that I know you better now, but…" She sighs. "I know you are not going to go anywhere, so I am going to have to like you eventually, right? So I decided that I would do it on my own terms." She offers a light smile. "You do not have to like me right away, but I am just here to tell you that you can start whenever you like. As for the boys…" She whistles low. "I have no idea. You will just have to wait it out.

"About getting rid of Hela, though, everyone is actually waiting for you to come back inside. They are really impressed. I know it is just because you were protecting yourself, but they saw it more as protecting all of them, so…" She smiles bigger. "You can take it or leave it, but beggars cannot be choosers." She spins around, sauntering back into the dining hall.

Thor looks down at Loki, waiting for his reply.

"I suppose I should take it, then," he says at length.

"One more thing," Thor says, pushing him away and holding his shoulders. "You and Hela… You've met before?"

He averts his eyes. "Everybody's met her, haven't they?"

"No, Loki, they haven't. Those of us in the palace have, but does not visit the village."

He sighs, dropping his head and falling forward to rest it against Thor's chest. "I almost made a deal with her," he says quietly.

Thor cringes. "Almost?"

He pulls away and nods. "I…she was going to tell me where I came from, but I had to give her something in return."

"What did she want?"

He shrugs. "The usual things that underworld keepers want. My soul. I didn't want to die, though, I just wanted to figure out how I started _living_. She wanted me…really badly, though, because I've got magic, right? If she takes the soul of a magician then her magic abilities become stronger. She tried to touch me so that I would not have a choice, but when she did, the same thing that happened in there happened. I didn't die, I just snapped the bone. It had never happened to her before, so she was distracted long enough for me to run. She may be the Goddess of the Underworld, but she is not an omniscient figure, so she could not find me. I…" He sighs, crossing his arms. "I didn't think it was important."

Thor pats his shoulders. "Apparently it was, and after that…well, it will still be important to everybody else. Are you ready to go back inside?"

Loki looks over at the door, worrying a hole into his bottom lip. "Should I?"

"You are asking _me_?"

He frowns, looking up at Thor. "Why would not I ask you? You and Frigga are the only ones I've got."

Thor cannot help but smile. "I think you should go back in there."

Loki breathes a laugh, looking back over at the door. "I figured you would say that."

When Thor pushes open the double doors, everybody stares again. This time, though, they all smile right away, and not a single person is looking at Thor. Their eyes are all for Loki, praising him for getting rid of Hela. Loki is absolutely flooded at first, body going rigged as everyone crowds around him. Thor goes in right away, pulling him out of the throng with a laugh.

"You must let him breathe, my friends!" he booms, pulling Loki against his side, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "He is not used to the presence of many!"

That seems to work, and Thor wants to leap for joy. Maybe the Goddess of the Underworld is out for Loki's soul, but right now, everything is fine—and everything is getting better.

**XxX**

Thor has no idea how long has passed, but he suddenly realizes that he has no idea where Loki is. Thor is surrounded by Sif and the Warriors Three, but he does not have a clue where his newest friend is. He sees his mother with Odin, so he is not with her…

He realizes he is laughing at a joke he didn't hear. How much as he had to drink? He should stop. He should go find Loki.

"I shall return!" Thor booms, rising up his glass, some of it sloshing over onto Hogun, who just rolls his eyes. Thor has never seen him drunk, though he does drink rather a lot. Never as much as Thor and Volstagg, though.

The blonde saunters off, walking around the room twice before remembering that there is a balcony somewhere around here. He finds it on the opposite side of the room, the doors open wide. Yes, there is Loki! Who's that talking with him? It is a woman,

"Loki!" he booms, throwing his arms out.

Loki and the woman look over, and the look of relief that appears on Loki's face goes unnoticed by his acquaintance. "Thor!" he says brightly. "How wonderful to see you!"

Thor grins, wrapping an arm around Loki's shoulders. "You disappeared on me!"

"I was making a friend," he says shakily, and no matter how drunk Thor is, he hears how uncomfortable he truly is.

"Well, I suppose I could let you stay…"

Before Loki can protest, Thor bursts into laughter and swoops down, grabbing Loki up by his waist so that Loki is hoisted onto his shoulder, his legs swinging in front of Thor's chest and his front half hanging over at his back.

"Thor, you big lug!" Loki grumbles, kicking his legs. "My cape, you—" He groans, dropping his legs down. "This is useless."

Thor grins at the woman, ignoring her irritated look, and spins around, carrying Loki with one arm back into the dining hall. He glances back over his shoulder to see Loki's front half is completely hidden by his cape. He sets him down by Sif and the Warriors Three, the five of them laughing when Loki's hair comes out an absolute mess.

"Thanks," Loki says, giving Thor a smile equally thankful and annoyed.

Thor grins, handing him a mug of mead. "Drink up, my friend. You are one of us now."

Loki gives a good natured eye roll, taking the mug. "Whatever you say, prince. Whatever you say."

Thor wakes up to a completely dark room that is not his own. It is either still the middle of the night or everything that lets in the sunlight is shut tight. He feels a warm body beside him, and by the sound of their breathing he knows that it is a man. He looks around, eyes adjusting, and also realizes that the room is decorated in…silver and green?

"Loki?" the blonde asks.

The moan groans. "Thor, honestly, cannot you just _go to sleep_?"

"But Loki, how did I… What am I doing in here?"

Loki rolls over to look up at him. "You came in saying something about being lonely. You would not leave, so I let you crawl beside me and we both fell asleep. I am _tired_, Thor. What will it take for you to shut up?"

"Then we did not—"

He groans again, rolling back over. "I know what you are thinking, and no, we didn't. Shut up and sleep, prince. It is still the middle of the night."

Thor nods, lying back down.

Loki sighs, wrapping his arms around his pillow instead of using it for his head. The notices that his back is bare since Thor has most of the blankets, so the blonde turns to face away from him before scooting closer to press their backs together.

"Thor, what are you—"

"Shh, I am keeping you warm. Go to sleep, Loki. I will protect you."

Loki mutters something about Thor still being drunk before falling silent, and they sleep.

**XxX**

When Thor wakes up next, it is because Loki is sitting up beside him. The room is still dark.

"What is it?" Thor asks.

"Nothing," Loki says quietly, lying back down. He is pressed up against Thor now, breathing ragged.

"Loki, did… Did you have a nightmare?"

"No," he whispers. "Please, go back to sleep. It is not important."

Thor sits up, causing Loki to roll over and huge his pillow again. "Please tell me, Loki."

Loki sighs, looking away. "It was just about Scara."

Thor frowns. "The she-devil?"

"No, we ran into the She Devil earlier tonight."

"I meant the horse."

"Yes, the horse."

"What happened?"

"Nothing, she just… She was hurt. Something inside of her. I do not know what."

Thor takes Loki and pulls him up, pushing the pillow away. "Let's go check on her, then."

"But Thor, it is the middle of the—"

"You do everything in the middle of the night. That's when you found me, isn't it? Now get dressed in something aside from your underclothes. Give me a moment to go get—"

Loki snaps his fingers, and just like that, they are both in their armor. "I am a magician, Thor," Loki says smugly. "I do not _wait_. Come on, she may be in trouble!"

Loki transforms into his usual black and green eagle, jumping off of the balcony once Thor has climbed on. The flight is short seeing that they are just dropping down to the back of the castle, so Loki does not even have to flap his wings. He just soars in a downwards spiral.

Thor did not expect there to actually be anything wrong—and in truth, there is not. The simple fact is that something _is_ going on.

"Master Thor! Loki!" Alvis, the main caretaker of the palace horses, yells when he sees them. "Oh, thank the gods." (While Alvis does live _around_ the gods, he is not a god himself.) "Loki, quick, it is Scara! I know that you are the only one that can control her!"

Loki and Thor run after him, Loki asking what is wrong.

"Nothing exactly," Alvis says. "She is giving birth! The child will die if we do not help her, and she is not letting us get anywhere near her!"

Loki sprints ahead in a flash, and when Thor gets there he is kneeling beside her, holding her head and whispering things to her. She is slowly calmly, but still the general movements in which she is going to birth.

"How did this happen?" Thor asks, looking at the size of her belly. Thor and Loki were only here just over a week ago, and Loki's no doubt checked on her between then and now. "How did she become pregnant and then this large so fast?"

"We have no idea!" Alvis sputters as others move in to help the she-devil birth as Loki is soothing her. "We noticed it a few days ago, but we were still in the process of figuring out what was going on tonight! Now it is obvious. I know the signs of birth. It is just…" He moves his hands a lot, trying to grapple with what is going on. "She certainly didn't mate with any of _our_ horses."

Loki looks over at them, but instantly goes back to Scara when she begins to protest. "I know who it was," Loki says without looking up at them.

Thor and Alvis frown down at him. "You do?" Alvis asks.

Loki nods. "There were many legends that I heard as a child, and every one of them fueled my love for exploring the forests and mountains over the flat world of Asgard. Though I believed the legends and wanted to create my own, I never believed I would stumble upon one that already existed."

Thor's eyes widen. "The legend of Tyr?"

Loki nods, looking up for only moment before looking back at Scara. "We all know that Tyr means 'god', but it is a horse so dangerous and powerful that he got the name nonetheless. He is massive, with fangs, the tongue of a snake, six eyes, and eight legs with claws on his hooves. He has a mane and tail of black fire and his coat is blacker than the darkest night. The legend goes that he was born of a male horse named Berg, named for the mountains he roamed, and the demon Hela herself. The legend is mostly right. Hela took Berg back to Hel with her, and she fabricated him a human form before having him. She brought him back here in his human form, giving the creature back its life, and then brought their child back here once she gave birth. The legend does not give a reason as to why she did it, but it is probably just because she wanted to create a few problems. Tyr is the only horse-creature that could be powerful enough to one, overtake Scara, and two, cause a birth to happen so rapidly. Whatever the child looks like…" Loki says, looking over at where they are beginning the actual birth. "Brace yourselves."

Thor does, though he hardly needs to.

"So far the only similar thing," Loki says as he is sitting beside Scara while she is licking her foal (Thor, Alvis, and the others who helped give birth are standing off to the side, no doubt going to be bitten by the she-devil if they get too close), "is the fact that he has eight legs. I cannot even imagine her pain when she gave birth." He leans forward and presses a kiss to Scara's cheek. "But you are alright now, right, darling?"

She whinnies happily, and the little foal gives one as well, causing Loki to almost melt.

"It is a boy," Loki says, smoothing his hand over the not-so-silky-smooth coat of the foal. He is not yet completely dry from the birth, but Loki does not seem to care whatsoever. "What shall his name be?"

Everyone but Loki and the horses look over at Thor, as though it is his job.

"Do not look in my direction," Thor says, holding his hands up. "I have never named a horse before. Ask Loki. The child was born of Scara, and she only listens to Loki. Is it not appropriate for him to name her?"

They all look at the magician, who smiles at them before looking over at the foal. "How terrible does Sleipnir sound?"

Thor smiles, leaning against the stall behind him. "I think it is perfect."

A horse by the name of Roan sticks his head out beside Thor' and whinnies, and that seems to start a chain reaction, because all of the horses start up, and everyone laughs. Loki gets Scara to let others put down blankets and food and the like, and after a few last kisses, Loki gets up to leave as well. Thor has his arm around the magicians shoulder as they walk out, Loki staring down at his hands.

"Yuck," he says, snapping his fingers to make it go away. "Animals amaze me."

"You say you rescued Scara, yes?" Thor asks as they walk aimlessly back to the castle, not flying anywhere.

Loki nods.

"Does she…understand you, or how do the two of you communicate so easily?"

"I can talk to animals if I want," Loki says. "Not in which I talk to them in whatever 'language' their species communicates in, but in which they can understand what _I_ am saying. That's why she will be able to understand you sometimes."

Thor nods. "I see."

They walk in silence for a while, and when they come to a door into the castle, they both stop walking simultaneously.

"I am never going to fall back asleep," Loki says, looking up at Thor. "I am far too excited."

"I will not be able to either," Thor says. "Well, I would, but I do not really want to try. Have you ever been on the Bifrost before?"

Loki nods. "Never to the end, but I've stepped onto the beginning."

Thor chuckles. "Does Heimdall scare you?"

Loki rolls his eyes, pushing at Thor's shoulder. "No, but I would rather not be cornered at the end for somebody to beat me up or push me into the water."

Thor instantly sobers. "You are safe now, you know. Nobody will beat you up anymore."

Loki smiles, looking down at the grass. "I know."

Thor grins, holding him tighter. "Come on, I will take you to the end. Not inside of the teleporter, but close. You can meet Heimdall, and we can find more shapes in the stars. The sun is going to come up soon, but it is always night at the far end of the Bifrost."

Loki smiles up at him. "I like that idea."

They fly there, landing in front of Heimdall.

"Master Thor. Loki. Hello," he says as Thor climbs off and Loki shifts back into his Asgardian form. "I suggest going back to the middle of the bridge for the best look at the stars."

Thor grins, and Loki smiles as well. "Thank you, Heimdall," Thor says, taking Loki's hand and pulling him after him. He sits down on the edge, dangling his legs over the edge. Loki sits a little farther bath, crisscrossing his legs and leaning back on one hand, both of their capes flaring out behind them.

"Do you see anything?" Thor asks. "I see a wolf head, there." He points.

Loki laughs. "It looks like the head of a dragon to me. Do you see the lily pad at the bottom of it?"

Thor smiles. "Finally, something we agree on."

They laugh, Loki pushing at Thor's shoulder again. "Finally in_deed_."

Thor does not know how long they stay there, but it is certainly not short. Thor has had fun before, and this time is just as much. Though he enjoys fighting great creatures (when he is ready for them) and swimming and he really needs to get to the bathing pool, he would not have done anything else in the time that he spends finding shapes in the stars with Loki. They find that some of the stars actually move, giving them all new shapes, and Loki counts four shooting stars just in the time that they are sitting there.

Thor had smiled over at him toward the end of their lookout, both of their hair twice as braided as before thanks to Loki, and he had never known a time that Loki had been smiling more. Has he ever been happier than that moment? He had a room to stay in, friends, his darling Scara and just given birth to a foal that Loki named Sleipnir, and now he is finding shapes in the sky.

Thor is not sure if Loki has ever been happier, but he is not sure if he ever has. There is something about Loki that always makes him happy, and he knows that will never change.


	4. Tendrils and Streams

[Chapter summary: In which nighttime is greatly beginning to grow on Thor.]

**Chapter Four: Tendrils and Streams**

_15 Days Later…_

Thor stretches his arms out, but the stretch ends abruptly when he realizes that his arm is not bumping into anybody. He opens his eyes to a room that is nowhere near pitch black, the balcony doors open wide and letting the sun stream in. How late did Thor stay up with Loki to have slept until the sun was up and passed being able to see from the bed through the balcony doors?

He looks to the other side to see that his arm was not stopped because Loki is not there. Thor has been sleeping in Loki's room a lot lately, somewhat smug that the clones do not stop him. Loki only seemed to mind right at first, but now he just assumes Thor will be there, and more often than not he falls asleep tucked into Thor's arms.

Sif became Loki's third real friend (after Thor and Frigga), and Volstagg followed as fourth. Fandral and Hogun are still having their doubts, but Fandral will probably come around as the fifth with Hogun close behind. Loki spends most of his time at the palace stables now that Sleipnir as been born, though he and Thor still finds shapes in the sky, and Thor has taken to bathing at night so that Loki is not alone.

Loki is very much a night person, so the fact that he is up before Thor is a feat all in itself. Thor finishes stretching before he puts his armor that's been strewn around Loki's room over his underclothes, fastening his cape tight before going out of Loki's door, being sure to lock it behind him. Nobody is outside of the room, so Thor walks in silence to the throne room.

"Ah, Thor, good morning!" his mother says warmly, welcoming him into her arms.

"Good morning, my son," his father says with a bright nod.

"Good morning, mother and father. I was wondering, have you seen Loki about?"

"I have not seen him," Odin says.

"Neither have I," Frigga says. "Is he not in his room? I know he likes to sleep in."

"No, I already checked." (Loki told Thor not to tell his parents that Thor is sleeping in the same bed as he. Thor is not sure why, but Loki just told him to trust him, so he is.)

"He is probably at the stables, then," Frigga says, smiling.

Thor smiles. "Of course, I should have checked their first. He is spending as much time with Sleipnir and Scara as he can. Thank you!" He gives his mother a kiss on the cheek before heading out to the palace stables.

"Hello, Alvis!" Thor booms.

Alvis turns to smile at him. "Hello, Master Thor!"

"Is Loki here?"

"No, I have not seen him all morning. Scara and Sleipnir are gone, though, so I assume he has taken them to one of the outlaying fields."

Thor smiles. "I should have guessed."

"I can send someone out to check for them, if you'd like."

"No, I will look for them myself." He walks inside, Alvis coming after him, and goes to Kerr's stall. Alvis helps him ready the animal before Thor swings on, thanking him and then riding off.

It does not take Thor very long to find Loki, but he eventually does in the very clearing by the river that he rescued Thor from the Berasnipe. Scara and Sleipnir are running around, the foal growing up nicely with his eight legs. He is normal aside from that. The blonde almost misses Loki himself, though, because his cape is nearly the same lush green as the grass, and he has the fabric splayed out over him in such a way that that's _all_ that Thor can see. It would not matter if he didn't see him right away, though, because right then he bends his knees up from how he is lying on his stomach so that his booted legs are visible. As far as Thor can tell he is not in his armor, but in his usual black pants, black long sleeve, and black suede boots. He just brought the cape along as well.

Thor drops from Kerr and lets him run over to join the other two horses, Scara letting him join them. It is only humans she does not like the company of. The blonde walks around until he is standing in front of Loki before dropping down on his stomach as well. Loki chin is resting on crossed arms and his eyes are dropped down to stare at the grass, somewhat sad.

"It didn't take _too_ long to find you," Thor says, positioning himself the same way, except letting his eyes look up at the other man. "Everyone just assumed it was you who had taken the horses, but we were not sure."

"I did not want them to be sure," he replies quietly.

"Did you ride Scara out here?"

"No, I flew—and not as the eagle. Nobody suspects a black and green phoenix to be the runaway pet of the prince."

Thor frowns. "Is that why you are out here? Because you think that I _own_ you?"

"Bravo, prince. For once your brains shine through."

"But…why do you think that?"

Loki sighs, rolling over so that he is on his back, tangling himself up in his cape in the process. "Because I can never get _away_ from you. You fall asleep on my bed, you invite me to everything and will not take no for an answer, and…even this! You come looking for me instead of taking the time to spend it with your old friends! Why would you do that? You could have just sent out a servant to tell me that you were up and could come and spend time with you whenever you like, but _no_."

"That is true, I could have sent servants and spent time with my old friends" Thor says, pushing up into a sitting position. "But that does not mean that I own you. It just means that I like you."

"Yes, well, I like you too, but that does not mean I am going to burden you with my presence."

Thor frowns. "Is that what I am to you? A burden?"

Loki sighs, attempting to roll over again, but he just gets twice as stuck, so he stays where he is. "Blasted thing," he mutters, dropping his neck back so he can look at Thor upside down. "That is not what I meant, Thor. I mean that _I_ am a burden."

"How would you be a burden if I purposefully seek you out?"

Loki blinks at him in the upside down position. "Do you not notice the looks that you get in the village? The way people glare at you for associating yourself with me? Maybe the palace has accepted me, but your other subjects are far from it because _they_ had to live _around_ me."

"Of course I notice it, but I just ignore them. Just because they do not like you does not mean I am going to force myself to dislike you as well."

Loki sighs, trying to roll over again. "Good lord, would you get me out of this damn thing?"

Thor has him untangled in a few moments, the cape fluffed out behind Loki like it is supposed to be. "Why do you see yourself as a burden?" the blonde asks.

"Because everybody else does," he says. "I know that you like me, I know that we are friends and some of those in the palace enjoy my presence as well, but I also know that those of the village see me as a burden. I just feel like I should be back where I was before you started talking to me…back by the river's edge where I can get bricks thrown at me and zap people into dust with my magic when they try and pull weapons on me. I feel like you would be better off without me."

Thor lets out a booming laugh, rolling onto his back so he can breathe easier. "Loki, honestly," he says, looking up at the clouded sky. He can find shapes in the white as well as the stars. "I do not care about things like that; you should know that by now. I have much more fun with you around. All I did before you came along was sleep, eat, and fight in the arena. But now I build things with the help of your magic, I ride horses more thanks to your obsession, I swim, I—"

"Alright, alright, your life is better with me around, I get it," Loki interrupts, face appearing above Thor's, blocking the view of the sky.

Thor smiles. "Will you bread my hair again?"

Loki gives a good natured eye roll, pulling back away and settling himself beside Thor's head. "I suppose. Come and set your head on my legs."

Thor obeys, scooting back until his head is fitted comfortably in Loki's lap, who's sitting with his legs folded underneath him. "I am sorry I enjoy your company so much," Thor says quietly.

Loki gives him a half-lidded smile. "It is alright, Thor. It is better than being alone."

**XxX**

After Loki finished braiding his hair, Thor gave the alone time that Loki wanted and went to be with his other friends. They were excited to see him without the magician, though Thor knows Sif and Volstagg are fine with his presence. They spent most of their time fighting each other in jest in the arena, simply proving Thor's point.

When night falls, Thor swings into Loki's room, glad in only his under-pants. Loki is sitting on his bed in the same outfit, though now without his cape, and his shoes are off, reading a book that Thor does not recognize. His library has grown very much since he first moved in to the room.

"I am going to hop into the bathing pool," the blonde says, leaning his hands on the bed. "Would you like to join me?"

Loki sighs, looking up from his book. "Yes, I suppose I should. I _could_ use another bath…"

"From last night?"

"I spent a lot of time in the grass and dirt today," he says with a shrug. "I will meet you there?"

"Yes, alright."

Thor undresses himself once he is reached the bath house, pushing all of his clothes into his designated shelf. Somehow, Loki's is already filled with his things. So the blonde walks out in nothing but his pride to see that Loki is already in the pool, floating on his back.

"You and your magic," Thor says with a chuckle, wading down into the water.

Loki stands up straight, shaking his head back and forth underneath the moon to get the droplets of water out of his hair. The bathing pool is of course surrounded by four towering walls, but there is no roof, so they are again below the stars.

"It is a very handy thing, really," the magician says, turning around to wade in deeper. He stretches, one arm pushing up into his hair while the other stretches out so that his palm is flat against the top of the water.

Thor suddenly realizes how close he is standing to him and his arching back, and he feels his face heating up, but he is not sure why. It is not like he has not seen Loki stretching without a shirt on before, not to mention how often they have bathed together in the past.

"Want me to show you a magic trick?" Loki suddenly says, spinning around to face Thor.

Thor freezes. They are so close. Loki senses his discomfort, though for the wrong reasons: "I will take that as a no…" he says, taking a step back.

"No," Thor says, reaching out and grabbing his shoulder. "Show me."

Loki smiles, going back to him. He holds his hands up, palms facing Thor, and they begin to glow with lime green magic. It grows until there is a wall of light between him and Loki, and then Loki reaches forward so that his hands are pressed against Thor's chest. The light instantly flies back to Loki's hands before shooting out around Thor in a lightning blue sort of color, wrapping around him in tendrils and streams.

"It maps out your veins," Loki says with a smile. "Draining blood without giving any great external wounds is always difficult unless you are me. The color changes depending on who it is, actually. Not the green, but the blue around you now. I showed it to Volstagg and Sif once; he is orange and she is maroon. I've done it to myself, too. It is the same green."

Thor smiles, looking down at himself. It shines through the water, illuminating the pool. "It is beautiful," he says. "I pray that you will never have to use it on me, though."

Loki laughs, the tendrils and streams slowly pulling themselves away. "That would be absurd. If anyone I would use it on myself."

Thor reaches up and takes a hold of Loki's hands on his chest, Loki looking up from the hands to see Thor's frown. "Do not speak of such things," Thor says sternly.

"You do not get to either, then."

Thor gives a smile and drops his hands. "Deal."

He tries to step back to pull away, but he finds that Loki is pulled through the water with him.

He cocks an eyebrow, confused as to how Loki's hand is so stuck to him. "Is this your magic, Loki, or…" He trails off, because of course it is Loki's magic. For what purpose is he using it for, though?

Loki smiles warmly. "You look beautiful in this light, you know," he says.

Thor has envisioned such things being said before. Never to him, but he himself saying it to somebody else. And he always pictured that somebody else smiling before leaning up to kiss him. Now, though, Thor does not think he can even move.

"Want to know a secret?" Loki continues.

Thor manages a nod.

"You look beautiful in any light." He leans up and presses his lips lightly to Thor's.

And that's when Thor sparks to life. He wraps his arms around Loki's waist beneath the water and kisses him back. The magic in Loki's hands goes out as he reaches up and wraps his arms around Thor's neck, tangling the fingers of one hand into his hair.

Thor whispers Loki's name against his lips, pulling him tighter against him. It does not matter that they are in the palace male bathing pool, out in the public, because Thor is in love—has been in love for a long time now, simply without knowing it.

Loki pulls his lips away, a smile on his lips. "Come," he says, taking Thor's hand and pulling him into the deeper water. He presses his palm to Thor's neck, and the next thing Thor knows is that he cannot breathe very well. "Under the water," Loki says, leaning up and kissing him.

They sink beneath the crystal clear liquid slowly, and Thor finds that as soon as his neck is submerged, he can breathe fine.

"It is a spell," Loki says beneath the waves, and Thor can understand him perfectly. "Open your eyes.

Thor does, seeing with absolute clarity. He smiles. "Have I told you how amazing you are?"

Loki smiles. "Once or twice." He pushes away from Thor, going even deeper beneath the water. The pool is very large, after all. It is a good thing that it is late and most do not enjoy bathing in the darkness—no matter how many torches are lit.

Thor swims after him, and Loki continues on until he comes to the edge, wherein Thor pushes him against the underwater wall before kissing him hard. It is an odd sensation, being intimate underwater. Thor's never done it before, but he finds that he likes it. His and Loki's hair swirls around them, and there is no risk of tripping when one becomes aggressive.

Thor pulls his mouth away from Loki's and trails them down his jaw line to his neck, hands gripping against his hips and both of them reveling in the feeling of bare skin pressing against bare skin. Though the sensation is usually different underwater (Thor has held Loki's hand in the pool before, so he knows what his skin feels like), it is as though they are above land in every way but for the fact that their hair is floating all around them and the cannot exactly _fall_.

"Thor," Loki whispers, his voice clear as crystal through the water. His spells never cease to outdo the one before it. "Thor, I—" He cuts off, moaning when Thor's sucks in at a spot of skin on his neck.

"Yes?" the blonde asks, kissing back up to nibble at his earlobe.

Loki breathes a laugh. "I've heard things about your ability to love, you know."

"Mmm, like what?" He darts out his tongue, somehow still slicking his skin even more so while they are underneath the water. The day that Thor understands magic will be the day that his father finally steps down from the throne.

"Like…like"—he moans again, lifting his legs to wrap around Thor's waist. "Gods, you _beast_." He uses both hands to push off of the way, spinning their bodies underwater and floating downwards so that his back is against the smooth floor of the deepest end of the pool and Thor is settled over him. He wraps his arms around Thor's neck and pulls him down for a kiss so filled with passion that Thor almost cannot breathe even with the gills Loki put on his neck.

Thor cradles the back of Loki's head to make sure that his does not bump it against the floor, even though it would not hurt him with the pain tolerance level his magic creates (his black eyes were there, but they never hurt him). He puts his other hand down to knead at Loki's buttocks, swallowing the man's moans as he lets out his own.

"Loki," Thor says huskily, grinding hard against him. "Loki, I—I—"

"Need you," Loki finishes. He reaches back to where Thor is holding onto a cheek and pushes his fingers into the crack. "Need you _now_."

Thor obliges, using the water around them to the best of his advantage as he circles Loki's entrance before pushing a finger in. He knows water is not the best slicking material, but maybe Loki will have a spell to use instead for later.

Loki moans against him, his face buried into Thor's neck. "Ahh, Thor, stop," he says, pushing him away. He reaches down to Thor's length and strokes him deeply, pulling a hard moan from Thor's lips. Seeping from the pours of his hand is a substance Thor knows is for a better slicking, and he cannot help but smile. Loki always thinks of everything.

Loki does not have to say anything for Thor to know that he is ready. He just let's go and kisses him softly under the waves of the pool. Thor pulls away just long enough to position his length at Loki's entrance, circling it twice to slick the outside before looking up into Loki's eyes.

Loki nods.

Thor looks back down before completing their coupling, pushing in slowly until the head of his manhood is inside. Loki lets out a pleasured whimper, wrapping his legs around Thor's waist to pull him closer and pull him farther inside.

"Be gentle with me," he whispers when Thor leans down to kiss his collar bone, not moving in and out any to give Loki's body a chance to adjust. "Remember, I've only ever been a woman."

Thor breathes a laugh, sucking in on his earlobe. "Tell me when," he whispers into his ear.

Loki does not even hesitate: "When."

Thor pulls out slowly until just the head of his cock remains before pushing back in again, gaining more and more speed in each thrust. Thanks to Loki's spell the water does nothing to halt the pacing ability.

Thor is close. Gods, he is close. The way that Loki's heat seems to surround his entire being, and the way that his moans and whimpers and other sounds echo through the water, and the way that his hands and arms and everything about him seems to kiss his skin like the many stars they make shapes out of.

Thor knows what he has hit when Loki cries out, holding Thor so that he does it again and again. "Ahh—ahh—Thor, I…I love you, gods."

Thor always figured that he would freeze on those words—then again, he also never envisioned hearing them during such a moment as this. Whatever he thought, those three words push him over the edge, and he finds himself coming sooner than he ever remembers at the sheer pleasure that courses through his entire soul. Loki follows soon after, face buried in Thor's neck and biting hard at the skin as he moans incoherently.

Thor kisses Loki over and over again, anywhere that his lips can reach, as their breathing slows. "I love you, Loki," he whispers against his skin, holding him as tight as he can without hurting him. "I love you. I love you."

"Thor, breathe."

Thor stops kissing and speaking, resting his forehead against Loki's shoulder.

"I love you too, Thor," he says, running his hands through Thor's hair as it flows in a halo around them. "For a thousand years, and then a thousand more, and a thousand until the gods reign no more."

Thor pulls away to smile at him. "Come sleep with me."

Loki tilts his head in question. "Didn't I just—"

"Beside me."

"I've done that, too."

"Not this way."

Loki smiles back and nods.

The magician uses his magic to make sure there are no eyes around before he and the blonde rush back into the changing room, throwing on clothes haphazardly before rushing through the halls to Loki's bedroom. He is not sure why they go straight to his, but it is probably just for the habit of the fact that Thor always "sneaks" in to sleep beside him anyway. Thor does not care if anybody sees them running to the room; he is holding tight to Loki's hand and happy to show off all of the darkened spots on the man's skin from where Thor has sucked.

The moment they are in Thor's room their clothes are again shed, Thor trapping Loki against the wall and mashing their lips together.

Loki pushes Thor backwards so that he lands sitting on the bed, legs spread and hands back to brace him up.

"No one's done to me what you do, Thor," Loki says, walking to crawl onto and straddle Thor's lap. "I want you in every way possible." He grinds down onto Thor's cock, both men already being brought back to life. "Every moment I've been with you I've had to hold myself back." He wraps his arms around Thor's neck, tangling his fingers into his hair. "But I could not ignore it anymore. Your veins called to me like coursing wires on my skin." He leans down to kiss him softly, his tongue tracing around the outer edge of his lips. "I do not care what anyone wants from us, Thor. I do not care if people look at us both and wonder how the other survives in company such as each other. I do not care that your father thinks me a devil's child or—"

Thor lifts a hand and puts a finger to Loki's lips to silence him. "I know," he says, sitting up straighter to put his other hand around his waist and to hold the small of his back. "I do not care either."

Loki kisses him again, both men falling backwards. They crawl further up the bed so that Thor's head can rest his head on the pillows, and they shift their legs around until Loki can pull the blankets up to his shoulders. The magician reaches down to Thor's length and lets the slicking seep out of his pours again, lubing him quickly so that he may lower himself swiftly onto Thor's cock.

Both men moan, the blanket dropping back as Loki throws his head back and continues to pump up and down. Thor helps with his hands, spreading his cheeks and using his strength to lift him just high enough that he will not slip free.

Loki comes in a flourish, his release hitting his chest and coming back down on Thor's. Thor pumps for only a moment longer before he does as well, holding Loki hard against him as his name is shouted from the blondes lips.

Loki collapses against Thor's chest, his length slipping free as the magician pulls the blankets back up. "_Now_ we can sleep," he breathes.

Thor nods tiredly, rolling them over in such a way that Loki is half on top of Thor, his head resting against the spot just below his shoulder, and his arm wrapped around Loki to curl over and push into his hair. Loki wraps his arms around Thor's other arm, burying his face against Thor's skin.

"You are so beautiful," Thor says, though he cannot see Loki at all in the position that his face is shoved into his pillow.

Loki breathes out deeply. Not a sigh, but a breath. "I love you, Thor."

And Thor has never slept happier.

**XxX**

Thor wakes up to soft lips against his chest, and he smiles down at Loki, who notices the movement and looks up with the same smile.

"Good morning," he says. "Did you sleep well?"

Thor dips down to kiss him deeply, and Loki pulls away at length with a giggle.

"I will take that as a yes."

Thor nods. "And yourself?"

"Better than I have in all my years of living."

They kiss again, and Thor reaches down to Loki's thigh to hitch it over his own, bringing them closer together.

Loki whispers his name, and Thor whispers right back: "I lov—"

There is a knock on the door, and a voice follows instantly: "Loki, darling, it is me! Are you up yet?"

While Loki panics a little at the fact that it is Thor's mother, Thor chuckles and sits up.

"Do not laugh, she will hear you!" he hisses.

"She will not care, Loki," Thor whispers for his benefit.

Loki blinks. "But do _you_ care if she knows?"

He shakes his head. "Of course not. Just make it look normal."

He gives a big smile and pushes Thor back down, pulling the blanket up. "Pretend you are asleep."

Thor obeys, draping an arm possessively around Loki's waist and closing his eyes. Loki snaps his fingers and the door opens.

"Oh, you are up!" Frigga says, and the door clicks shut behind her. "I was—" She cuts off. "Oh, sorry," she whispers. "At least I didn't wake him." Her weight settles on Loki's side of the bed. "He finally figures it out, then?"

Thor forces himself not to frown. Figure out what? About his love for Loki, or vice versa?

Loki breathes a laugh. "Not exactly. I sort of just told him."

"And he accepted that?"

Loki's fingers brush through Thor's hair, and he gives a convincing stir, tightening his hold around his waist.

"I know he did," the magician says. He gives a happy sigh. "Anyway, what brings you here?"

There is silence for what seems like a very long time, and eventually Frigga bids Loki a warm goodbye before the door opens and shuts.

Thor opens his eyes and frowns up at the magician. "She came in here for silence?"

Loki gives a warm sort of smirk. "What, you are not even going to ask what your mother meant?"

Thor smiles. "You said last night that you've had to hold yourself back, did you not? I assume you told her before hand of your…" He waves a hand. "Whatever it was at the time."

Loki shrugs. "An infatuation, in the beginning. I've met you before, you know. As a woman."

Thor frowns. "You did?"

Loki taps his nose with a finger before snapping those fingers, and in his place is a woman Thor somehow recognizes even though he was drunk at the time (he is very good at that): she has dirty blonde hair the same as Thor's and put into dreadlocks, dark blue eyes, and a tiny little nose. She is in a red and gold top that's tied up so her stomach shoes, and the tiniest bottoms that Thor has ever seen.

His jaw drops. "I am one of the men that dominated you as a woman?"

She shrugs again, reaching up to the knot at her shirt. "I liked you."

Thor frowns, reaching up to stop his hand. "Are you undressing?"

He cocks an eyebrow. "I _was_."

"Why?"

"Because you liked it."

"That was before I knew who you _were_, Loki. Maybe you figured out how to be the _woman_ I've always wanted, but it is not the _man_ I want. I want you in your true form, Loki."

Thor she-Loki glares, and with a melting green he is back in his male form, but now with that Frost Giant blue skin and red eyes. "You mean _this_ true form?"

Thor does not give Loki any time to shift again. He just leans forward and kisses him. He is cold, but not the burning-cold that Thor has heard about.

Loki instantly pushes away, flailing his arms a little before falling head over heels off of the bed.

Thor cannot help but laugh, grabbing him and pulling him back up. "You are freezing," he says, kissing him again.

"Thor, how are you—"

"Because I love you, Loki. I think you are beautiful."

Loki stares at him a long time before looking away, the blue and red washing back to porcelain and green. "But nobody else does, Thor. No matter how much you do, nobody else wants to see me like this."

"We both said last night that we did not care, Loki."

"It does not matter if we care or not, Thor! Nobody wants to see a Frost Giant at the side of the throne! They'll _hate_ you. You cannot have a king that everybody hates! I will not let it happen. I will disguise myself, okay? I will be that woman whenever we're in public. As soon as we're alone, though, I will change back. You can still love this form, but I cannot let you love it in public, Thor. I cannot let you throw everything away like that."

"Throw it _away_?" the blonde snarls. "Loki, I _love_ you. Whatever I throw away will be because I _love_ you. It is not the same then! I do not care if nobody wants me; I do not care if I am the one ruling! I just—"

Loki puts a finger to his lips. "You do not even _care_? That's nonsense, Thor. You _want_ to be king. I know you do."

Thor takes Loki's hand and kisses it. "Not without you I do not."

Loki looks like he is about to cry. He all but lunges forward, throwing his arms around Thor's neck and kissing him hard. "I love you," he whispers around Thor's lips. "I love you. I love you."

Thor smiles, holding him out at arms length. "Breathe, Loki."

He gives a breathtaking smile and crawls forward, straddling Thor's waist and kissing him again. "I love you, prince," he whispers.

"I love you too, magician."

"You really do not care if they hate you?"

"I really do not."

"Even your father?"

Thor narrows his eyes. "There is something I must tell you, Loki, about him. It…has to do with how you got here."

Loki puts a finger to his lips again. "I already know, Thor."

Thor frowns.

Loki nods. "While you were being told the story by Odin, I was being told by Frigga."

Thor's jaw drops. "My _mother_ told you?"

Loki laughs. "Yes, oh prince. Your mother told me."

The blonde smiles. "I should have known."

Loki kisses him again, and this time Thor holds him tight, no matter how many times the man says "I love you". Because Thor loves him too, and soon the whole kingdom will know it.


	5. Epilogue, Part 1: Magic

[Chapter summary: In which Loki is not alone.]

**Epilogue, Part One: Magic**

_Two days later…_

Frigga had called a ceremony for the entire village—well, Odin called it, but Frigga told him to. The entire village has gathered at the entrance to the castle, filling the courtyard and the stairs that lead _up_ to the castle. There are some on the roofs of the closer village homes, and many of the palace residents are even sitting up on parts of the castle itself.

That's not the important part, though. She is just announced to everyone that Thor and Loki, in a month's time, have planned to be wed. The village is in stunned silence.

But Frigga isn't done yet. Thor does not know what she is going to do as she walks to the front step, arms spread wide. Loki seems to, though. He is sitting beside Thor, hands balled into fists and eyes very wide.

"You are all afraid of him because he is magical," she says. "You believe that he is going to hurt you. But I have never hurt you, have I? I have watched out for every single one of you. I have made sure that all of you have a home, and all of you are fed, and none of you are hurt in the wars that ensue around you. But if I show you what I can do, you _will_ be afraid, and it will be long until you can trust me again."

The village begins to whisper, but before they get very far, Thor's mother begins to…glow. And as the seconds pass, she becomes brighter and brighter. Finally, in a flash of golden light, she stands there with wings like an angel, the color of gold and spread wide. Her eyes are gold as well, and her nails have grown to all but claws.

"You see," she says, holding out a hand, where there sits a golden flame. "I am a sorcerer too."

The entire village seems to erupt. Thor has never heard anything louder in his entire life—and he is been in battle before. There are no screams. There are only gasps and whispers. Thor himself has a dropped jaw, but Loki is just wide-eyed still. He already knew. Of course Frigga would tell him…they are the same, after all.

"But I have never been dangerous," she says, the fire rising out of her hand. It flies up to the sky before bursting into colorful flames, shooting out in arches. The flames disappear before they come back down on anyone. "I will never _be_ dangerous. I love every one of you, and I know that you love me. It is unbecoming to have blind hatred for something simply because you know nothing about it."

The whispers continue, everyone trying to decide what they are supposed to do. They are used to the blind hatred. Can an entire village change just because their queen is what they are meant to hate?

Loki suddenly stands, walking up beside Frigga. She lowers her wings for him and takes his hand. "The only ones of you who I have ever hurt are the ones that hurt me first. You throw bricks at me and push me into the river, but all I ever did was _sit_ there. I never even had a real family, and all of you had to make it worse." He breathes a pained laugh. "I could have killed every last one of you, you know. One at a time, or all at once. But I never did. I slept in _caves_ for you people. I stayed away from you whenever I could so that I would not bother you, and you repaid me with bruises and broken bones." He holds his free hand out, a green flame erupting in his palm. He throws it up and it erupts into little birds, flying off into the sky. "I do not destroy things, I create them.

He turns back to look at Thor, who stands right away, going to him and taking his other hand. "I saved his life," he continues. "We weren't even friends, then. I could have left him there. I am not friends with any of you, but that does not mean that I am going to hurt you. You have to understand that there are worst things that I could be." He squeezes Thor's hand, the words of _what I am_ being said in silence. "I want to be friends with every last one of you. I want to show you that what I—" He cuts off with a smile, looking at Frigga. "What _we_ can do is beautiful. We can show you that if you will let us. We can show you the wonders of a world filled with magic, you just have to let us."

There are whispers for a very long time, nobody wanting to say anything too loud.

Suddenly, though, two of the villagers come up, both of which are very well known to everyone. Gersemi is always in many colors, and is the village jeweler, in which she mines and sells gems and sows them onto clothing. Magni is a well known warrior, in which he has killed many beasts the village has been afraid of.

"We have confessions, your majesty," Magni says quietly as they each drop to a knee.

Frigga smiles. "I know, and you will be forgiven if you tell the others."

They nod and stand, facing the throng of villagers and gods and soldiers and all of the others.

"We are the same as our queen and the future prince," he says, holding out an arm. He too erupts in his palm a flame, this one the color of rust. It swirls into the air and creates a dragon of flame, the dragon being a symbol of any great warrior. The dragon roars before bursting, and shimmering red and black rains down.

Gersemi leaps forwards, spinning through the air so fast that she becomes a blur of every color, and when she bursts with a flash she lands with both arms spread. She now has angelic wings as well, shimmering in changes of color like her multiples of gems. "We kept it secret because we saw what happened to Loki," she says, bringing both her arms out in front of her. When she raises them above her head, different color flames spread across the tips of her fingers before shooting out in beams of light to arch over the village. She is created a rainbow. "Magic isn't dangerous…" she says brightly, dropping her arms and letting the rainbow stay. "Magic is beautiful! You just have to see it that way, and you have to use it right."

One more person steps forward. It is the woman that Loki was with a few nights ago, who Thor now recognizes as being named Kari. She is the daughter of the Goddess of Wind. "My mother knows what I am," she says, raising a hand. Her flame is grey, swirling down instead of up. It whirls into a windless tornado, lifting her up until she is standing on top of it. "Now all of you do, too. It is not just Loki anymore. It is the future prince, our queen, the jeweler, one of our greatest warriors, and the daughter of a goddess. We're your friends. We've been this way the entire time. We haven't change." She jumps down, the tornado leaping up around her like a puff of smoke before it disappears. "We're the exact same as all of you. The magic abilities are different for each of us, as are talents for each of you."

Frigga drops Loki's hand and walks forward until she is standing in front of Loki, Gersemi, Magni, and Kari, wings spreading again and mostly blocking the view of the magicians from the villagers. "You must choose to accept us," she says. "There are more of us than you think, and we were all too afraid to tell you. You must release your hatred before you allow yourself to be scared of a little fire in our veins."

And Thor has never before seen the villagers so united.


	6. Epilogue, Part 2: Stars

[Chapter summary: In which Loki's feet are fine, thanks.]

**Epilogue, Part Two: Stars**

_[LOKI's PoV]_

_One month later…_

Loki is hyperventilating when Frigga enters the small room in her dress of gold. He is in what his usual armor would be except that what is usually black is white and everything else is silver. He is waiting until he is meant to walk up the aisle, and he literally has not seen Thor since the morning. They were whisked apart so they could be ready for the morning. Now it is nearly nightfall, because they organized it to be under the stars. It is probably Thor's doing, which puts a huge smile on Loki's face. He is done far too much smiling lately.

"Loki, you look pale," she says, feeling his forehead. She giggles. "Well, paler than usual."

Loki gives an affectionate eye roll. "I may or may not be about to faint."

"Oh, darling," she says, wrapping her arms around him. "You are just thinking too hard."

He sighs. "Yes, I am. We haven't told anybody about my heritage yet, and I was just thinking about if my _real_ father came to walk me to Thor."

She scoffs. "I would not let him. _I_ will be walking you to my son, thank you very much."

The doors burst open, though, to reveal none other than Hela. She is appeared three times since Loki's been friends with Thor, the second time to try and take his soul again when Loki was off with Scara and Sleipnir.

"I have a _better_ idea," she says, walking in and then quick closing the door.

Loki groans. "Will you never give up?"

She smirks. "You let me walk you to the prince and I will not keep going after you for your soul—_but_, I want it once you've gone. I do not do or send anything to do away with you myself." She holds her dead hand out. "Deal?"

Loki looks over at Frigga, who chuckles. "Much as I would like to, I would much rather you be without fear of having your soul stolen."

Loki rolls his eyes and takes her hand. "Deal."

She grins. "_Splendid_." With a snap of her fingers she is in a dress of red with a long sleeve to cover the bones of her arm, plus a pair of silver gloves and boots.

"You never try to cover yourself," Loki says, looking her over.

She shrugs. "It is your wedding. I do not want to be the center of attention."

Loki gives a small smile. "Thank you."

"Nevertheless," Frigga says, clasping her hands together. "I think I will go warn everyone first. Come out as soon as it is time." She kisses Loki's cheek before leaving.

Hela flits in front of him. "So," she says, eyes shining bright. "How are your feet?"

Loki frowns. "My feet?"

She flits her wrist. "Never mind, it is a Midgardian thing. Are you having any second thoughts?"

Loki snorts. "Of course not."

She grins. "Good. I like you together." She giggles. "You are going to be the queen."

Loki gives a good natured eye roll. "Who better to be the queen than someone not even a woman half of the time?"

Their banter continues until it is time, Loki pulling Hela to the door. He is in the small building outside of the palace courtyard, with everyone all set how they were when Frigga announced to everyone her magical abilities.

"Deep breath, kid," Hela says before walking out and into the open. The music blares as soon as Loki is seen, wafting back through the village.

"Oh dear," Loki whispers as they begin the march. "I forgot the bouquet."

Hela grins, pulling it out from behind her back and handing it to him. "But I did no—good gods, how far do we have to walk?"

Loki chuckles. "Through the courtyard and up the stairs. You'll be fine."

She crumbles a little but, but Loki does not hear her. He just sees Thor, his armor the same except now it is white and gold. Loki definitely likes him in white. He will have to get him to wear it more often.

Hela eventually realizes that he is not listening and stops talking, and she is kissing his cheek goodbye and pushing him up the last few steps to Thor in no time. The blonde grasps his hand firmly and pulls him the rest of the way to the palace door, where a podium has been set where Idunn, the Goddess of Eternity, awaits to wed them.

Loki hardly even pays attention to her words. Something about love for eternity (what else would Loki give?), but Loki's simply distracted by Thor's perfect smile. The way his entire face is lit up in that smile, and the way his hands hold onto Loki's just tight enough that it does not hurt, and gods, Loki is so in love he does not even know what to do about it.

He manages a flustered "I do" when Thor has to tell him he was just asked since he wasn't even listening, and then Idunn is saying those words…

"I now pronounce you wed for eternity. You may ki—"

Loki does not even realize he does not wait for her to finish until it is too late: he all but lunges forward and throws his arms around Thor's neck, kissing him hard, the bouquet swinging around and smacking lightly at the sides of their faces. The wedding colors are silver and gold, of course, so that's the color of the flowers.

Thor laughs against his mouth before wrapping his hands around his waist, and then there are the cheers, louder than anything heard in all of Loki's years.

"I love you," Thor says when they finally pull away.

Loki can tell from the look on the blonde's face that he is never seen the magician smile brighter. "I love you too, prince."

"You are a prince now too, you know."

Loki grins. "Yes, I suppose I am."

He starts to pull him towards the crowd. "Come on, I have a bouquet to throw."

The women are absolutely frantic (yes, even jealous little Sif; she really is happy for them, though), and Loki is pretty sure that _this_ is actually the loudest noise he is ever heard. He turns around and throws it backwards before quick spinning back around to watch.

Hela leaps out of the middle of the whole crowd, screaming like a banshee. She flips when she is grabbed it with her living side (so they do not instantly die), landing down at the bottom of the stars with Magni, Gersemi, Kari, and some others.

"Woo!" she says loudly. "Who wants to sell their soul for an eternity with myself in Hel?!"

Everyone just starts to laugh because they know it is a joke, but none other than little Gersemi reaches out and takes her dead hand, all of the different colored jewels absolutely shimmering even though it is night (there are plenty of torches to make up for that, though).

"Hi," she says with a cute little smile.

Hela grins down at her. "Finally, a little color in the underworld."

Loki laughs. Hela will not really take her soul. Not until she is actually going to die. She is always loved her living side the most.

Loki looks up at Thor. "So, where are you taking me?" he asks.

Thor laughs. "The middle of nowhere."

"Ooh, my favorite. Where's that?"

"Somewhere that the light will not reach," he says, pulling him closer. "Somewhere where you'll be able to see more stars than ever before."

Loki smiles and kisses his cheek. "You know me so well."

Thor smiles back and kisses his lips. "I know."

_**-THE END-**_

* * *

Ending notes: I do not really have anything to say except that Idunn is the chick with the golden apples that give you eternal life, so that's why I call her the Goddess of Eternity and why I chose her to wed them since love is eternal and shit.

Other than that, nothing! Haha. I hope you all enjoyed it :) Review if you please, do not if you don't! Love you all!


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